You Only Live Twice
by pudgypudge
Summary: Sometimes a sacrifice deserves a reward. Sometimes that reward is not what was expected or wanted. And sometimes it was just what was needed.
1. Dreams and Realities

**Hello everyone. pudgypudge here. I've been gone quite a while. No muse, no inspiration. So, one day I decided to challenge myself. Just one last try at fandom to see if I can still write anything worthwhile. I picked what I thought would be the most challenging crossover. Something, that I'd actually have to try to write for. My Little Pony stood out the best. So, I sat down and brainstormed and I think I might have something here. That's up to you entirely though. This is mainly for my benefit but hopefully it will give some of you something to read. I may finish this; I may not. This is my last ditch attempt to get my juices flowing again. I perused some of the fiction written about this and I'm watching the episodes on Youtube for research. I'm hoping to make this a little unique. Yes, it is a 'pony-fied' Naruto. But give it a shot. And hey, if you're bored, the cartoon isn't all that bad. It has some good little jokes on there._ Had Enough by Breaking_**_ Benjamin._

**CHAPTER ONE**

_Dear Diary,_

_I've never kept a journal before. I've never had to. But last night I had a dream. A dream too vivid to forget. Last night was the 100__th__ anniversary of my sister's banishment and on that night I always have bad dreams, but I never remember them. I never remember any of my dreams._

_I remember this one. But I don't know if it is good or bad._

_In the dream, I walked on and on through a thick fog, white and muggy. I could feel it stick to my wings and coat as I walked. For hours it seemed I walked, aimlessly drifting through nothingness. I heard no sound from my steps for there was no ground. It was...unnerving._

_Finally, in the distance, if there was such a thing as distance there, I could see a shape, small and black through the haze. I ran toward it, hoping it would have answers, whatever it may be. I stopped within a few feet of the creature and stared down._

_It was a small foal. A tiny, rust-orange earth pony with a blonde spiky mane. Around its eyes were very light, almost invisible red markings, like those of a raccoon. I took a step forward and froze immediately. This small creature, looked so...wizened. As if the weight of the world was upon its shoulders. It was curled into a ball with its nose pressed against its flank. _

_It looked pitiful. It looked...weary. Tired. Sad..._

_...it made my heart hurt to look at it._

"_He's beautiful, isn't he?"_

_I stood to my full height, spread my feet slightly, and demanded that whoever was there come out. Silence reigned in the mist for a few moments before the voice spoke again._

"_He's beautiful, isn't he?"_

_It sounded mournful...and proud...and altogether sad. Like a mother would pine for a lost child. I turned back to the foal and took another glance. He was beautiful, I replied. A perfect creature. The mist seemed to recede a little and I could detect a hint of...happiness?_

"_He always was. Beautiful. Strong. Strong of body, of character, of morals...that's why he deserves this."_

_I asked what he deserved._

"_You only live twice. The good die young, the old die gracefully, and legends never truly die. But he never had that chance. That's why he deserves to live twice."_

_I was afraid. Afraid of what the voice was saying. What was I in the presence of? A god? It spoke of this little colt like it was its child. I asked as such and received a small laugh._

"_Of course he is my child. A special child. A flame against darkness that burned out before its time. That's why I give him to you."_

_But why, I asked._

"_To maintain peace. This child has fought all his life for peace."_

_I looked at the small thing before me. All its life? It couldn't be more than a year old. Two at most. I voiced my disbelief._

"_Do not try to understand everything or you will understand nothing. Believe when I say that this child has fought his entire life to bring peace to his people. It was his master's wish and his desire. He fulfilled it, but he was not allowed to enjoy peace. To maintain peace. To know peace. That is why I give him to you."_

_My mouth felt dry. And I asked why, once more, he was given to me. The voice indulged me._

"_I give him to you, to your land, as a protector, for that is what he is. Tell me, young one, what is the essence of Harmony?"_

_Loyalty. Laughter. Generosity. Honesty. Kindness. Magic. I knew these by heart. The voice seemed pleased by my answer, but..._

"_All are true. But these are needed to _maintain_ peace. What is needed to _make_ peace?"_

_I didn't want to answer. I was beginning to understand what the voice meant. I refused to answer._

"_Tell me. What is necessary? What is it that makes this child special?"_

_I swallowed hard. My voice cracked as I stared once more at the young foal, his tiny features weighted with what I could see now. Responsibility. Dedication. Servitude._

_Yes...servitude. My voice choked. Sacrifice, I said._

"_Yes. Sacrifice. This little one has always sacrificed himself. His happiness. His body. His soul. All for the well being of others. It's time he found the peace he deserves. But sacrifice is all he knows. Its engraved in his very essence. That is why he will protect Harmony."_

_The elements of Harmony? I asked._

"_Yes. Peace must be fought for. Harmony is the goal. Sacrifice will maintain. He sleeps now, to regain his strength. He will awaken one day and I will send him to you. You must show him the way of your world. The way of peace."_

_My world? It sounded like this foal would have no idea what he was._

"_He will be...confused. He will not know, but you must show him. Help him down the path to his own peace. I will send him to you when he awakes."_

_What is his name? I inquired. The voice seemed to swell up with pride and joy and I could feel...love in its presence as it spoke._

"_Naruto."_

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_It has been so many years since I last wrote of that dream. The dream with the young colt. I had almost forgotten about it. Tonight is the anniversary of my sister's imprisonment and I write in you again. I daresay this was less a dream and more a premonition._

_I believe my previous dream to be one as well._

_In this dream, I walked in the mist again, but this time, I knew where to go. Soon, I came upon the little foal again, unchanged from the last time I saw him, except for his eyes. The red around his eyes was darker now and more realized. He looked complete. And this time he was awake. And not alone._

_Sitting beside him was the strangest creature I have ever seen. It was smooth. And pale. Its mane was long and luxurious and red, but it had no coat. Its style of dress was unlike anything I've seen. But as I approached, it smiled at me, as it used its strange appendage, like a monkey's arm, to stroke the little colt._

"_He's beautiful, isn't he? My little Naruto..."_

_My breath hitched when he opened his eyes. Oh, how blue they were. Like tiny oceans, bottomless and unending. He blinked at me and looked at her. She smiled sadly and stroked his mane again._

"_This is who will be taking care of you. She will show you the way. Do not fear. Do you understand?"_

_He nodded and struggled to his feet, as if he'd never stood before. Towering over him, I realized how tiny he looked. How frail._

_How powerful._

_His head held high, he looked me square in the eye and I could feel it. Power. Protection. The power _to_ protect. Then his head dipped low and he bowed before me. The female creature behind him smiled and stood up, dusting her dress as she did._

"_He will find you, Princess. This is his chance to know peace. Please help him along."_

_What is he to you? I had to know. This small bundle entrusted to me. I felt protected and wanted to protect him as well. It was conflicting._

_The red maned creature smiled at me, a large smile that I would come to know well in the coming years._

"_He's my son. My beloved son. My Naruto."_

* * *

Celestia let the quill fall to the table and closed the diary with a small thump. Two dreams. In hundreds of years, she had only remembered two dreams. The dreams of the little colt and the red-maned female. With a sigh, she stood and walked to her chamber door, intent on a walk to clear her mind. Four guards made a box formation around her and they were off through Canterlot.

Her mind was not with her as she smiled at the people of the city. They bowed as she walked past, waiting until the tip of her tail was gone before rising. Would the premonition come true? Or was it simply her mind playing tricks on her?

It couldn't be. She could never imagine such a creature as in her dream. And then she saw a small rust-orange blob coming down the cobblestone street, its small hooves clacking along. It held its head high as it headed straight for her, and for the first time in a long time, the Princess was dumbfounded.

It was the little colt from her dream.

Ponies stopped and whispered as he continued toward the princess unabashed. What was a small pony doing in Canterlot on its own? An earth pony, no less?

The guards tensed when she stopped and stared, only to find a little foal walking toward them. The youngest guard in the rear, a pegasus, sneered and started forward, only to be stopped by the oldest guard in the group, a unicorn. The unicorn shook his head and ambled in front of the princess, intent on teaching the boy manners.

"Son, I know you're young, but you must respect your princess. Step aside and bow and let us be on our way."

The little foal glanced up at him, snorted, and walked right past, right up to Celestia's feet. She looked down into his eyes and immediately felt at peace. He had finally arrived. She began to smile warmly when the youngest guard stepped forward and began to berate the little colt loudly. She hadn't realized how quiet things had gotten on the street until that moment. Everyone was staring. Just as she was about to reprimand the guard, she noticed those big blue eyes narrow.

The guard never knew what hit him.

It took only a second for tiny legs to buck upward and send the guard flying several feet backwards. Not so impressive except for the fact that this was a trained royal guard and the attacker was a small colt. A gasp rang throughout the streets and the guard scrambled to his hooves, intent on teaching the little one a lesson in respect.

"Stop."

The single, quiet command echoed through the stones of the city, stopping everything in its path. Celestia bent her head down to meet the big blue eyes of her subject. He didn't flinch, meeting her gaze entirely. She smiled. It would seem destiny was not simply a roll of the die.

"Come along, Naruto. Your lessons begin tomorrow."

She turned. He followed.

* * *

How many years had it been since he had come to the palace? Nearly twenty, she figured. Time didn't matter when you were nigh immortal. Time marched on. Ponies aged. Ponies...passed on...

But she never did. She was always there. An observer in time. And she observed better than anyone else.

Naruto was a quick study. He knew nothing of pony language. Or mannerisms. Or culture. But he was a quick study. Very quick. Especially when it came to being a fighter.

A protector.

She estimated he was about five years old when he walked into her life. By the age of six, he was able to hold conversations with any pony he talked to. He was polite. He was calm, quiet, erudite. She taught him manners, culture, and the ways of noble pony life. He hated it. He was a free spirit at heart, but he was well-behaved. He never wanted to embarrass her.

It was when she introduced him to the guardsmen that she saw his talent in full effect. His mother, for that is what she had said she was, was correct. He was strong. He was equipped for battle. This little pony had fought before. She could see it when he moved...and it saddened her to some degree, that one so young would know of battle.

By the age of seven, he was holding his own against the new recruits.

By eight, he was beating them. By nine he was learning against the more experienced soldiers. By ten, he was a royal guardsman, the youngest ever, and the only earth pony in her court guard. She didn't see him much after that for a few years. But she was proud of him. And he looked so cute in his custom made small armor. The thought still made her laugh.

She was a princess and the caretaker of the sun and moon. Military matters were left to her advisers and the captains of her guard. She still had final say, but she trusted their judgment. So when they presented her new bodyguard to her, she was shocked and happy.

The newest lieutenant was her bodyguard, the colt she had taken in and mentored, Naruto. He bowed low before her and she bid him rise with a smile. He gave her a small smile back and everything was right with the world.

He was a wonderful bodyguard. Dutiful and stoic while on duty. Behind closed doors, he was the sweet colt she had practically raised. Polite and mature beyond his years. But then, he would be. He wasn't what he seemed, was he? When pressed for a reward for making it so far, so young, he had only one request.

He wanted rid of the helmet he was made to wear. Too restrictive he said. All he asked for was a different head piece. That night she had a dream again. It was another one of those creatures, like the red-maned one, but this one had a white mane...and he was huge. He towered over her. But his eyes were kind and the red tear marks under them helped her see that. The dream ended when he took the headband off his forehead and presented it to her with a charming grin.

_"Tell him to wear it with pride. Tell him I'm proud of him."_

She commissioned it right away the next morning, down to the exact detail. The strange markings, the horns, the red cloth. It was all the same. He had loved it. He had bowed low as she tied it around his forehead with her magic. Thanked her profusely. His vigor to fulfill his duty returned tenfold. She had nothing to fear with him around.

One point of contention was that he had yet to receive his cutie mark on his flank. The other guards teased him good-naturedly about it, and he took it in stride, but she could tell it bothered him. She assured him that he simply had not found his calling yet, and he adamantly rebuked that, saying that his place was at her side.

It made her happy to hear that. But all good things come to an end. She was a monarch, but she couldn't rule the hearts and souls of her subjects. Greed and envy run deep in the hearts of all creatures.

* * *

She knew before he even came into her chamber. Today was the day he would go away, out into that cold, wide world. Her protege, her constant companion, her...

...she didn't know what he was at times. She knew for certain he didn't belong in the castle though. He belonged to their world. He belonged to Nature, to Equestria. The walls confined him.

She had heard the murmurs of several of her guards, including the captains. How the lowly little earth pony was only advancing because of his proximity to the princess. How his strength was unnatural. His ability in a fight too controlled for a pony of his age.

He'd been accused of being several things. Changeling, worst among them. But he'd borne it in stride. Too proud to bend to their whispers. But she could see that it hurt him. It haunted him. He only wanted to serve the kingdom, to serve her.

...such was sacrifice...

Celestia threw her head back and looked at the ceiling with a sigh, dreading what was to come. The door creaked and in walked her bodyguard, ears and tail drooping, his armor gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_It was just an hour ago that he was called into his commanding officer's office. He'd never been called in for anything other than a commendation of service by the previous Captain, an old Unicorn who valued service and honor above all. He'd sadly retired two years ago, having given half his life to his country and princess._

_The new Captain did not mesh well with him._

_"Do you know why I've called you here, Lieutenant?"_

_Standing at attention, Naruto stared straight ahead into his Captain's eyes._

_"No sir."_

_"I've heard disturbing reports of uncalled-for behavior unbefitting an officer of the court. I am displeased by this, Lieutenant."_

_Naruto's face betrayed nothing, but inside his mind was racing. He'd been warned by his princess that this day might come. His youth and closeness to royaltly would work against him in palace politics._

_"I have no knowledge of what you speak, sir."_

_"Harrassing palace guests. Consorting with unknown parties. Collussion. Bribery. Need I go on, Lieutenant?"_

_"Do you have proof, sir?"_

_"I do. Several signed affidavits confirming your whereabouts and the identities of your co-conspirators. I thought better of you than this."_

_Leaning forward on his desk, the Captain glared at the young earth pony._

_"I don't like you, Lieutenant. I didn't like you when you were a fresh recruit, I don't like you now. Your service up til now has been exemplary though. That's why these reports disturb me highly. You're the only earth pony in the military right now. Most don't bother. But you have a gift, a very special gift. That's why you were allowed to join."_

_The chair he sat in spun and the Captain faced outside, overlooking the courtyard._

_"Your strength and agility are astounding. Your ability to tap into the magic of Nature is nothing short of a miracle. You have advanced quickly through the ranks_, _but you've made no friends doing it. And you're certainly not one to play politics."_

_He spun back around to face the rust-orange stallion and put his hooves together in front of his face._

_"In respect for your service to your country, I am cutting you a break. You are to be honorably discharged, despite what I have on you. The evidence is all against you and I have the paperwork filled out from the other Captains of the Guard. It takes two of us three to make the decision to remove an officer of the Court. You are hereby stripped of rank."_

_Naruto felt his heart sink. Being a guard was all he knew._

_"Stripped of title. Stripped of authority. I want your office in the barracks cleaned out by the end of the day. I want you out of my city by morning. I won't have a disgraced soldier mucking up my city or my guard."_

_Naruto's teeth were grinding. Why now? He'd done nothing wrong. This was a set-up. As he opened his mouth to speak, the Captain gave him a smug grin._

_"If it were up to me, you'd be out on your ear now, dishonorably discharged from service. Like I said, I never liked you. I didn't like you when you kicked me the first time and embarrased me in front of the princess. I don't like you now. I don't know if the reports are true or heresay and frankly, I don't care. It gets you out of my mane. Turn in your armor now."_

_The rust-orange pony was visibly shaking by now. He'd been warned. He didn't want to believe it though. Didn't want to believe this level of pettiness existed here. With a quick shrug and a few tugs of his teeth his armor clattered to the ground. The Captain sneered and held out his hoof._

_"The headband as well. All effects. Now."_

_"No."_

_The Captain's eyes shone with anger._

_"I said 'Now!', soldier!"_

_Naruto merely turned and walked to the door, the forehead protector still in place. He looked over his shoulder at his former captain, the red around his eyes suddenly seemed to be deeper and his blue eyes shone._

_"I'm not one of your goddamn soldiers anymore. Discharged, rememeber? And this headband doesn't belong to you. Sir."_

_"Don't you dare..."_

_Before anything else could be said, the door was blasted away by a quick blow from Naruto's right forehoof. Debris scattered everywhere, ponies of all sorts went flying, dodging stone and wood. Naruto stepped into the hall and spit on the tile, heading off to grab his personal effects before saying goodbye to the one person he cared about._

_The Captain sat at his desk in a cold sweat, nervously mopping at his head with a handkerchief. The Head Captain of Luna's Guards poked his head in and took a seat at one of the chairs that wasn't knocked over. He'd been listening to the conversation outside._

_"I hope you and the Head Captain of the TownGuard are satisfied. You've just lost our military a valuable contribution. That young stallion was a beacon to the townsfolk and most of the palace servants."_

_Naruto's former Captain growled and stood up from his desk._

_"I'm glad he's gone. Maybe now things can get back to normal. Earth ponies don't belong in our ranks anyway."_

_"That'll change quick, Captain. Mark my words. You've just opened a door to policy change around here. Better hope you're around to see it. I had nothing against that colt. He was a good soldier. And more importantly, favored by the princess herself."_

* * *

Bowing low before Princess Celestia, Naruto kept his eyes closed to avoid her gaze. She noticed that he had his saddlebags loaded with what few personal items he owned. He was a soldier. Personal property was a luxury.

"I've been...discharged, Milady. I...have to leave your service tonight."

Celestia sighed. She knew this was coming.

"Oh Naruto...it was just not meant for you to be here. You belong elsewhere."

"I belong by your side!"

His hoof hit the tile and caused the room to shake. Immediately he was filled with shame and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, your Highness. It is unbecoming of me to lose my temper with you."

"I understand, Naruto. You look strange without your armor, you know. It will take some getting used to."

His ears drooped further it seemed.

"Yes, Milady..."

Taking a deep breath, Celestia slowly approached her protege. With a gentle hoof, she raised his chin so he could meet her gaze.

"I know of what has been done. I know that those documents were forged. I know you are innocent. And the Captains responsible will be punished. Rest assured."

Blue eyes darted back and forth, searching for reason.

"Then why?"

"Because...you are meant to go and find your destiny elsewhere. Oh Naruto, many of us don't want you to go. The servants adore you. You're a very polite young gentlecolt. The townspeople feel safe when you walk the street beside me. They feel like they can approach me. One bodyguard of great strength is much more endearing than a squad of trained soldiers."

She smiled gently at him and she was reminded once more of when he was little and held her gaze, unafraid of her power.

"Your power is unmatched here. Your agility, untouchable. Trust me, when I say that this is not an end, but a beginning. And you will be missed. By me. By the younger soldiers who look up to you. By the palace servants. By the people of Canterlot. But it's time for you to go and see the world."

"I've seen the world by your side."

"No, you've seen where I have taken you in this world. It's not the same. You must experience it for yourself. Find your place in the world. Get that cutie mark finally. Find a nice mare, for heaven's sake!"

Red seemed to flare upon his cheeks.

"Princess! Please!"

She covered her mouth daintily with her hoof and laughed, the sound soothing him somewhat. This was a side she showed few. A regent can't appear too soft, after all. He gave her a sad smile and his eyes had never seemed bigger.

"I was instructed to turn in all my effects. Including the headband you had made for me."

"Oh, Naruto. That's..."

"No. I...I want to do this right. I want you to have it back. Keep it for me. Perhaps one day, my travels will bring me back here and I can accept it back then."

A lump formed in her throat as she levitated the headband up and over his ears, the weight seeming to slow down time itself. This was it. She was losing not only a valued member of her court, but a dear friend...nay, a family member. Naruto strode forward and wrapped his forelegs around her neck.

"Thank you, Princess. For everything. I love you."

And with that he walked away without looking back. Celestia sat there stunned into silence. He'd never said that. He'd never hugged her. As a foal, as a young colt, never. Not even in their most private moments where she could see it in his eyes. He was devoted to her and Equestria. For hours it seemed she sat there, staring out the window, long after his silhouette had vanished from her view, out past Canterlot.

He didn't deserve what had happened, but she let it play out. He needed to leave, to experience the world. He needed this push. He couldn't do that if he was always dedicated to sacrificing everything just to protect her.

There was that word again...sacrifice...

Suddenly angry with the whole situation, she called for an attendant.

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Summon the Captains of the Guard. All three. I believe we will have something to discuss. I want them here within the hour!"

A loud explosion caught her attention and she saw a ring of rainbow in the sky. She'd never seen such a thing! And right after that, an enormous surge of magical power.

A sudden crash outside caught her attention once more. A giant baby dragon had exploded through the research wing of her School for Gifted Unicorns. She flapped her wings and flew to the open window.

"Better make that in two hours. I have a feeling I might be a bit preoccupied for a while!"

She'd found her next student.

* * *

It had been a few years since he left the palace. He hadn't even bothered to keep up with the time because knowing how long he'd been away would only depress him more. He was lost, without a purpose. He needed purpose. Needed to be needed. At least, that's what he thought. The life of a vagabond didn't suit him.

He'd been all over Equestria it seemed. He'd seen the kingdom, but he still hadn't found a place where he belonged. For the past few weeks he'd been wandering through the Everfree Forest. He'd seen the ancient palace Celestia had told him about before, falling down around itself in disrepair, but out of respect, he stayed away from it.

He sighed as he walked along. He had no bits left to his name. He hadn't actually worked anywhere in about a year. Nothing gave him the satisfaction that the physical labor of being a guard did. The training off duty. Speaking with the Princess and learning from her. He missed his old life.

Head down and staring at the ground as he plodded along, he hadn't really been paying attention to where he was going. His stomach gurgled hungrily and his lips curled in a frown. He was so hungry! He really should have taken that job back in Stalliongrad as a bouncer. The bits would have at least got him some rations for this little excursion.

Lost in thought, he plodded along. Look at him. A former Lieutenant in the Royal Guard, the bodyguard of Celestia herself, reduced to that of a regular bum. He used to be somebody! Now he was out in the wilderness...alone. A quick snort banished that line of thought. He had moped enough over the years.

His walking came to a halt however when he ran head first into a tree and felt something besides bark smash on top of his skull. A quick rubdown of his forehead to make sure nothing was hurt but his pride and he looked downward to find...an apple? An apple!

Quick as lightning he snapped a bite out of the gleaming red fruit and munched happily, his stomach tasting its first real drop of food in days. He looked up in the branches to see lots of apples, literally tons of them. Licking his lips in anticipation, he sat down at the trunk, lifted his front right hoof and tapped the tree. He didn't want to break it, just knock some apples loose. His stomach grumbled again and he pulled his hoof back and slammed it onto the bark.

He was greeted by a shower of red. One last apple thumped him on the skull and he chuckled to himself.

"Whoops. Guess that was a bit too hard."

The apples were delicious. He felt like he must have eaten half the pile. The rest he planned to shove in his saddle bags for the trip. They'd keep for a few days at least. And with his stomach full, he'd have time to meditate and reconnect with Nature again. His energy had been low as of late.

"You gonna pay for those apples? Or am I gonna have to take it outta yer hide?"

Naruto froze in place and slowly turned to see a large red Stallion, a draft horse, wearing a large wooden yoke, staring at him with half-lidded eyes, a piece of wheat swishing around his lips. Naruto was by no means of the definition 'small'. He rountinely was bigger than most guards. But this guy was by and large one of the largest ponies he'd ever met. A hoof went behind his head and he scratched at an invisible itch, trying to disarm the situation with his patented smile that usually got him out of trouble.

"I apologize, sir. I wasn't aware that these apples were anyone's to own."

The big green eyes of the red pony didn't flinch. His voice came out again, slow and measured.

"Yer on my farm. Sweet Apple Acres. And those apples belong to my family. Its how we make our living. Now ya gonna pony up the bits for 'em? Or do I have to have you arrested?"

Naruto's smile fell.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any bits. But! But perhaps we could come to an arrangement of sorts? Could I work them off somehow? I didn't mean to steal, sir."

The red pony rolled the wheat around to the other side of his mouth.

"Maybe. I saw whatcha did to that tree. Ain't many can buck apples with one hoof like that. I'm one of the few that can. But never seen anypony do it with a front hoof. Name's Big Macintosh. You come with me. We'll see what my sister says about this."

A nod was his answer.

"My name is Naruto, sir."

"Strange name fer a strange feller, I suppose."

* * *

"And who in tarnation is this?"

Big Macintosh rolled his eyes. He'd already explained the situation. Leave it to Applejack to need more than one time to get it.

"I just told you who he was, sis. And what I caught him doing. And how he did it. And how we came to be here."

"I know what you said, smartypants. It still doesn't explain who he is or where he came from or what he was doing in our orchard."

Naruto stepped forward and bowed his head a bit, the way he'd been taught.

"My name is Naruto, Miss Applejack. I'm a wanderer and I only ate your apples because I was hungry. I can do some work to pay for them. I'm unfortunately out of bits."

Applejack rubbed her chin with her hoof. Worker, huh? She and Big Mac could certainly use a helping hand. Maybe...

"I wanna see you buck a tree first. Then we'll talk. Lemmee get some baskets for the apples. If you can actually knock some off, that is."

Not five minutes later, Applejack had baskets set up under a fully loaded tree. She turned to Naruto and narrowed her eyes.

"Alright, Mister. Let's see some magic."

Naruto nodded and walked past her, staring resolutely at the tree. If only he hadn't been caught eating those apples, he wouldn't be in this position. But he'd been taught to always do the honorable thing. He owed these ponies for the meal. And a little work never hurt anyone. He looked back at the Apple family. An elderly green pony and a small yellow one with a large bow had come out to watch too. Great. Now he had an audience.

"Just like I saw ya do back there, Mister Naruto."

He nodded to Big Mac and sat down in front of the tree. Lifting one hoof, he sized up and gave a quick thrust. The Apple family's jaws collectively hit the ground when apples showered down into the waiting baskets. Naruto stood and sauntered back over to the four. Applejack seemed to finally get her mouth working again.

"How? One hit? But only...but you...You're hired!"

Taken aback, Naruto lifted one hoof before him defensively, surprised at her sudden invasion of his personal space with her last declaration. The grin on her face was practically predatory.

"Miss, while I'm flattered, I only wanted to work off what I owed for the apples I ate and have in my bags. I'm not sure I'm cut out for farm work."

"The heck you ain't! You just knocked out an entire tree's worth of apples with one hit! Why, with you around, me and Mac can get more done! We can increase production. Increased production means increased profits! Please, Mister Naruto!"

"But I..."

"We'll put ya up. Free rent! Mac can help build ya a room on the side of the house. Granny's a great cook. You'll have your meals with us. And with more money flowing in we can pay ya a decent wage!"

Naruto looked helplessly back and forth from one family member to the other. Granny Smith chuckled and winked at him.

"You better just say yes, young'un. Applejack don't take 'no' for an answer. Besides, ya said ya was a wanderer. Ain't ya tired of wandering around? Settle down in one place for a while and ya might find what you're looking for. Or that special somepony you're looking for. Worse places to be than Ponyville, ya know?"

"Eyup."

The little yellow one bounced in place, happy with the idea.

"Sure thing, Mister Naruto! I'm Applebloom! You'll like it here. It's great living on the farm! And Ponyville has lots to do! It's where I go ta school!"

Naruto looked helplessly from one family member to the next. Applejack and Applebloom both had large smiles on their faces and their eyes were hopeful. Big Mac looked uninterested, but that was a lie. His eyes betrayed him. He wouldn't mind some help. And Granny Smith...had fallen asleep...The yellow-maned pony sighed and looked at the sky.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt I suppose. But I reserve the right to leave when I want if this isn't something I want to do. I'll work off what I ate otherwise and I'll leave."

Applejack positively beamed.

"Great! Come on in the house and we'll get you settled. Big Mac! Get his saddlebags and put them up somewhere. Applebloom, fetch some blankets. We'll make him a pallet in the living room for now til we get that room built. Granny Smith, wake up!"

Naruto sighed as he followed along behind the Apples. At least, he wouldn't be sleeping outside tonight. And maybe, just maybe, this is what the princess was talking about when he left all those years ago. He couldn't help feeling a little lighter inside. These folks' energy and happiness was infectious.

**So there we go. I'm working on a second chapter as we speak. And again, this is just to try to get my juices flowing, but if people end up liking it, then who am I to complain? Let me know what you think.**


	2. Turn the Page

**Second chapter up and running. I appreciate the positive reviews. Please keep in mind that I'm not going to write down everything that happens in the cartoon. Naruto's story will run a parallel quite often, entertwining with canon, and then branching off again. Watching the show to keep up wouldn't be a bad idea, otherwise you may be a tad confused. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the second installment. One last note. I feel I tend to overthink the details sometimes and my writing suffers. So, I'm trying to condense and keep things mysterious, while coming back later to important plot points and little nuances. Well, here we go. _Art is Dead by Bo Burnham_.**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Applejack woke the next morning earlier than usual, excited to get out and work. They had a new hired hoof! One who could probably work on par with Macintosh and this made her nearly want to squeal. Almost. Kinda sorta...not a chance. In any event, she was excited to show him what to do around the farm. And on the weekend, they'd start building that room.

As she tramped down the stairs she noticed she was the only one up. That was strange. Granny was the first one up, followed by Mac. Always. She figured she must have been more excited than she thought. The coffee pot began to perk and brew as she yawned and inhaled the thick scent. Her half-lidded eyes looked out the window, at the moon hanging low in the sky and the figure silhouetted against it.

Naruto sat on his haunches, his forelegs bent and hooves touching together before his chest. This was how he'd been taught to meditate, to reconnect with the magic of Nature around him by the Princess. He could feel everything it seemed. He could hear every beat of a moth's wings, slow and measured. He could feel the heartbeat of the sleeping squirrels in the tree above him. He could feel his strength returning it seemed.

Meditation brought him a sense of peace. A sense of calm. He hadn't had the time to meditate in quite a while. Meditation required a sense of safety. He hadn't had that in the Everfree Forest. He hadn't felt comfortable enough to do it in any of the other places he had visited either. He felt that here. It was almost like being...back home...

His eyes opened slowly and he looked at the moon. Just a couple hours and the sun would be rising. He'd start his first day of work on the farm and, if he was honest with himself, he was a tad excited. He hadn't done any actual physical labor in a long time and it would be great to stretch his muscles. He'd decided last night that he would give this six months. If he liked it here, he'd stay. If not, he'd consider his debt repaid, collect what bits the family owed him, and continue on his journey. With a quick thrust forward he was back on all four hooves and moseying back into the farmhouse.

Applejack watched him lift his nose at the smell of the coffee and quietly shut the so as not to wake her family . She smiled as he wandered into the kitchen and took a quick sip of her coffee. He nodded to her once he rounded the doorframe and glanced at her coffe cup.

"Cups are in the cupboard yonder. Are you a coffee drinker, Mister Naruto?"

"Not much. I drank it in the early morning hours when I needed to be awake back home."

Now this was a line of inquiry she could get into.

"And where is 'back home'? You never told us last night. Didn't tell us much of anything really."

Naruto tipped the mug back in his teeth and slowly let the hot coffee dribble into his mouth. Yep, that was good stuff. A soft sigh escaped as he sat the mug back on the table.

"I'd rather keep my past in the past, ma'am. No offense to you or your family, but I'm a private pony and my past has both good and bad memories. If I decide to stay on as a worker, I'll tell you everything you want to know, but its for the best right now that you don't get too attached to me."

Applejack ground her teeth a bit, but accepted the answer. Then a thought hit her.

"You know, little Applebloom took a shine to you fairly quickly."

"Children often do when something catches their attention."

Applejack's voice sounded very smug.

"She'll get a story or two out of you for sure. I ain't met anyone yet that can say no to those big ol' eyes of hers. And if she hears it, I'll hear it."

"I've spent time around the young ones before, you know. I'm quite sure I can deflect any questions of hers."

"We'll see. On to business. When Big Mac gets up, we'll get started. You ready?"

Naruto rolled his shoulders and grinned.

"As I'll ever be."

* * *

Celestia was just raising the sun as the Apple siblings and Naruto walked to the equipment shed. Macintosh elected to let his sister do the talking.

"Now there ain't much to do this time of year except harvest the apples. It's pretty much what we do every season except for winter. There's always some kind of different apple that grows during some time of the year. What with you being here though, I wanted to try something a little different. See, last year I bought some seeds of a few different vegetables and I wanted to try growing our own plot. Kinda ease up on the grocery bill a bit, ya know?"

Naruto nodded.

"Soooo, I figured, you know how to buck apples, obviously. But me and Mac can handle that this morning, until I go to set up the stand in town. I want you to plow that field over yonder."

Blue eyes regarded a rocky, unbroken field. His eyebrow cocked and he looked at the sheepishly grinning Applejack.

"I know it ain't exactly fair to ask on your first day, but it would be a big help. And don't think I expect you to get it all done the first day. It's a big field. And its only you. And you've obviously never farmed before."

"I'll handle it, Miss Applejack. Just help me get everything set up. I've never pulled a plow before, but I'm sure I can handle it."

Applejack positively beamed at him as Mac pulled the plow out. Naruto's hopes sank as he looked at the delapidated thing and her face fell, somewhat ashamed.

"Yeah, I know it ain't purty. But it's all we got until we can afford a new one. Mac has a tough time with it, so I understand if you do too."

The plow was rusty and dull along the blade. The harness was old and worn. Clearly, he would have to fix this first.

"Miss Applejack, I simply can't work with this blade as dull as it is. Do you have a sharpening stone?"

Applejack glanced back to the corner and nodded to Mac, who ambled off.

"Well, yeah, but neither me or Mac are good at sharpening things. We just tend to make them more dull. We'd usually take it in to the blacksmith in Canterlot to get worked on, but last year's crop was kinda smaller than usual soooo..."

Mac nudged the grinding wheel into the light with a grunt and stepped around it.

"Are ya any good with this kinda stuff, Mister Naruto?"

Naruto nodded and began the task of unhooking the plow blade from the frame.

"I've sharpened a few blades in my life. Part of my training in the pal...past..."

Well, that had been rather lame, he thought. Thankfully, neither one pressed him on the point and Applejack just nodded.

"Well, if you can sharpen it, I'd be mighty grateful. It ain't part of your agreed upon duties, but it would help us quite a bit. And it would make your job easier as well. Say, I got a question. How old are you?"

"I'm around Big Macintosh's age, I suppose. Mid-twenties?"

"You don't know?"

Naruto shrugged and lifted the blade up to the stone.

"It was never important where I was before. All that mattered was doing the job. Well, that's what I thought anyway. In any event, I'd better get started, Miss Applejack. Sooner I start, the sooner I finish."

"Uh, yeah. Alright. Well, I'll be in town later, so if you have any questions, just get Big Macintosh. He'll help ya hitch up to the harness and get you started."

Naruto nodded and began to pump the wheel, setting the stone turning and dropping the blade to the stone.

"Yes ma'am."

* * *

Applejack returned home with Applebloom at almost sunset. She'd sold every apple at her stand and she was feeling good. Mac was sitting on the porch when they arrived and Applebloom ran to him and jumped up, giving him a hug.

"Hey, Big Macintosh!"

Big Mac returned her hug with a massive foreleg.

"Evening, Sugarcube. Y'all have fun at school?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, go on in and wash up for supper. Me and AJ will be in shortly."

After a hearty 'OK' from the diminuitive little filly, Mac turned to his sister, his eyes still half-lidded but she could tell he had something to say.

"So, how'd Naruto's first day of work go?"

Macintosh sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the porch. There was a hole in a corner. Best to get that fixed before wasps decided to make a nest. But back to the matter at hand.

"He's a beast when it comes to work, AJ. He's pure muscle, like me. He had those blades sharpened and he started on the field by midmorning."

"You told him to move the rocks right? Before he slammed into one with the plow?"

"Eyup. AJ, I don't know what to think of that. He piled them up to a side of the field. The smaller ones that is. The big ones he either smashed into smaller ones or tossed aside. Said we can always use rocks for something later. I can't even do that AJ. I'm strong and I can buck a tree with the best, but he was smashing rocks with his bare hooves."

"Well...supposedly Pinkie Pie comes from a family of miners and rock farmers. There's gotta be tricks."

"It weren't tricks. It was brute strength. AJ, he moved all those rocks and still got a quarter of that field plowed. Sis, I ain't too smart, but we've got a gem here if ever there was one. He's a solid worker. And I bet by the time this season is up, we'll have gotten more accomplished than we ever have."

"It ain't like you to praise somepony after knowing them for so little time, Macintosh."

"I know. That's why we need to tread careful here. There's more to him than meets the eye, Sis. A lot more."

"I reckon so. Where is he?"

"He's puttin' the plow up in the shed. Said he'd finish up tomorrow."

Applejack nodded and headed on inside the house.

* * *

Naruto let out a deep breath and stretched his back. No wonder Big Mac was strong enough to buck apples off a tree with one kick. Plowing took a lot of strength. Luckily, he had it in spades. It didn't compare to the thrill of combat though. Training to defend the princess... He missed that. But that life was behind him now. He had to find a new lot in life.

Being a farmhand wasn't so bad. It was honest work at least. And no less monotonous than guard duty. The Apples so far had been nice folk. It was also nice to sleep inside for a change, without waking up with dew on his back.

And Granny Smith was a pretty good cook. She'd regaled him with tales of her youth the night before, while the rest of the Apples sat by and smiled and rolled their eyes. He had sat there, ever the perfect gentlecolt, and listened to every word. But for now, he wanted some food and sleep.

His hoofsteps echoed as he stepped onto the porch and turned the knob with his mouth. He heard the little clops of Applebloom as she ran up to greet him, a huge grin on her face.

"Hiya, Mister Naruto! Didja have fun today?"

He smiled down at her.

"I wouldn't say 'fun' persay, but I feel good, better than I have in a long time."

"That's what my brother says all the time. You two sure sound alike."

A laugh rang out from him.

"I doubt that, little lady. Your brother has a drawl I can't match."

"Yeah, I noticed that too. You sound like one of them high-falutin' people from Canterlot."

Naruto's ears slightly drooped, but he kept a smile on. No reason to worry the little thing.

"Yeah. I get that a lot."

He walked past her calmly toward the bathroom, intent on cleaning up before supper. Applebloom padded along behind him, suddenly intent on something. He heard her gasp.

"You...you don't have a cutie mark! But you're as old as Big Mac!"

Naruto looked at his flank, unadorned and the same color as the rest of his body.

"I just haven't found what I'm good at yet. Part of the reason I'm a wanderer, I suppose."

Applebloom's head was spinning. An adult who didn't have a cutie mark? Unheard of! And it made her sad. It was usually something a pony discovered early on in life. Some got it sooner, some got it later, but everypony eventually got one.

"Don't worry about it, Applebloom. I stopped worrying about it a long time ago. When it happens, it'll happen."

His smile seemed to melt away any of her apprehension and her bounciness returned.

"Maybe it'll be an apple like the rest of my family? You're real good at working on the farm. Least that's what Big Mac says."

"I'm flattered your brother thinks so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to wash up."

Applebloom bounced away and into the kitchen and he continued up the stairs, uninterrupted.

* * *

"So, how was your first day, Mister Naruto?"

Naruto stopped chewing on his stalk of celery and swallowed.

"Pretty good, ma'am. I got those blades sharpened and all the rocks moved out like you asked. I was able to get about a quarter of the field plowed before evening. I haven't worked that hard in a long time. It felt real good."

"I'm glad to hear that. Big Mac says you're a hard worker and he's a good judge of character. I apologize for your sleeping arrangement at the moment. We'll get on that room this weekend and get it built for ya."

"It's nothing major, Miss Applejack. I don't mind. Being inside is enough at the moment."

"Ugh. Call me Applejack. Drop the 'Miss' stuff. Makes me feel old."

"I can't do that, ma'am. It's how I was raised. You're my boss. It's just respect."

"Grrr...fine. Be like that."

Applejack dove back into her meal with aplomb, not bothering with anymore conversation. Granny Smith cackled from her end of the table and grinned at Naruto.

"She don't like not having the final say, son. Remember that."

That would be a good thing to remember, yes. Especially since she was the boss. He had a vague sense of deja vu. Seems like at one point he was always in trouble for disrespect. Now he was in trouble for respecting someone. Life was so confusing sometimes.

* * *

_One Year Later_

Applejack sighed contentedly. The work was done for the day, no, for the season. They'd had a record year so far. Profits were up, way up. They'd never been more productive. And it was all thanks to their new farmhand.

Naruto was a god-send. He could keep up with Mac without stress. Plow what needed plowing. Fix almost everything...or at the least hold whatever Macintosh needed him to. He wasn't much of a carpenter. At the last Winter Wrap Up, he'd outdone everypony except Mac at dozing the snow, keeping pace with his coworker. Nah, 'coworker' was uncalled for. Mac and Naruto were practically best friends. Hell, he was practically family at this point.

Applejack took a drink of water out of a rainbarrel and smacked her lips. They'd built him that room the first weekend and he'd been ever so grateful. It was still spartan, hardly anything in it. Just a few momentos from his past. Some medals, she guessed from contests he'd won. A couple of books, odd ones from the covers and titles. And a strange necklace that he never wore, hung on a hook above his bed.. A simple rope necklace with a tiny green emerald. He said he'd had it commissioned once when he was in Canterlot after he'd seen it in a dream.

He'd taken to farmwork like a duck to water. He'd taken to her family even more. Applebloom adored him and he'd taken to correcting her manners at the table and her grammar when she misspoke. AJ chuckled at that thought. Applebloom didn't like it when he did that, but she liked to impress the older stallion. Her reward for good behavior was a gallop across the farm on his back at full speed...and he was fast. Faster than her, and she was the fastest Earth pony in town. Or he told her a story of his wanderings. Always good for a laugh.

He never even left the farm. Said that he had no need to go into town. If he ever needed anything, he'd give her or Mac a list and ask that it be taken out of his wages. Not much of a list ever. Just one or two things. It was a shame, but she didn't press him on it. It was just sad to see a pony less sociable than Macintosh. At least _he_ went into town sometimes.

At the six month mark, he'd come to the family at supper one evening and said that if they'd have him, he would stay. Their answer was given when Applebloom tackled him with a hug. Of course they wanted him. He'd become a great friend to the family and a hell of a worker. And he'd told them some of his life. Not all, Applejack presumed, because it was pretty brief.

He was a soldier back at the palace. Raised in the military all his life. Youngest Earth pony to ever join up. But a few years before Big Mac found him stealing apples, he left the military and began to wander.

That story was too simple, she suspected, although he loved to tell Applebloom tales of his travels and the ponies he'd met. She had to admit, it was a great way to pass the time in the evening...and way better than one of Granny Smith's 'Why back in my day...' stories.

He cooked for them sometimes when Granny was down. Said he'd learned from the chefs in the palace on a whim. Took care of Applebloom when she was sick. Said he'd learned a bit of medicine from the palace physician.

He was a mystery, wrapped in a conundrum, boxed inside of more...mystery. She'd never been good at fac...fasci...big words. Probably wasn't the right word anyway.

She looked out to the field again to see Naruto dragging the plow back to the barn. Not the hard way, like Mac had always done. He'd outfitted it with foldable wheels for the journey back to the barn.

"_It only adds about a hundred pounds to the weight when you're pulling, Miss Applejack. I don't even feel it."_

"_What about Mac?"_

"_You think he's gonna admit he can't do something I can do? He's stubborn as a mule. All of you are. Too much pride at times. Although that's not always a bad thing."_

That was a good memory. Mac had never complained out loud, but she was pretty sure he didn't appreciate the extra weight. He did like the wheels at the end of the day though. And the consistently sharpened blades.

As she sauntered back to the house, her mind turned to their newest business venture. Something Naruto called 'rootbeer'. She'd come home to find him brewing something in the still out back that they used for cider. Horrified that he was making alcohol, she had confronted him and found he was making something similar to their cider, only from sassafrass roots he found in the Everfree Forest. Her first taste of the completed brew was heavenly.

She'd started bringing a barrel with her once a week to the stand. The profits from it stood next to the apple sales all on their own. Ponies in town loved it. Oh, their cider was still the real moneymaker, but now they could sell a beverage and not sacrifice apples.

It was hard to believe it had been a year and none of her friends had even met him yet. Even when they came by to visit, he was always out in the field. She swore he was worse than Big Macintosh. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had seen him when they had flown over, but one was too shy to approach and one was too busy and embroiled in her tricks. Rarity never came to the farm. And Pinkie Pie was...well, she was Pinkie Pie...

But that was all about to change. The Summer Sun Celebration was around the corner and she was shutting the farm down for it. He was going into town with her and the family whether he liked it or not. It wasn't good to be a social recluse, especially someone as friendly as Naruto. Mind made up, she wiped her mouth with a hoof and rang the dinner bell.

* * *

"Soooo...Summer Sun Celebration is in a month."

All the ponies at the table looked at Applejack, her trademark hat no longer on her head (since Naruto had mentioned it was bad manners to wear it at the table whether it was a colt or filly wearing it), and Big Mac nodded.

"Eyup."

"Well, I was thinking. This year Ponyville has been elected to host the Celebration and the Princess herself will be in attendance. We'll have a whole lot of the family here to help with the preparations, so I thought once all the chores were done we could go as a family. That includes you, Naruto."

"But..."

Applejack leveled him with a glare, pinning him in his seat.

"No buts. You haven't left this place in over a year. I know that Sweet Apple Acres is a big place and you do get out of the house, but you haven't even gone into town yet. The Princess herself is coming this year, so you're getting out and making some friends. It'll be good for you. I promise."

Naruto looked helplessly around the table. Sure he didn't go into town, but he had no need to. And with the Princess coming he really didn't want to go. He didn't want her to see how far he'd fallen. His resolve crumbled when he locked eyes with a teary-eyed Applebloom.

She didn't even need to say 'please'. He just gave in and consented.

Her little cries of triumph and Applejack's smug grin weren't helping though.

* * *

He hadn't known that the Apple family was that extensive. It seemed that the farm was overrun with ponies of all colors. He hadn't felt this overwhelmed since he left the Royal Palace. Everyone wanted to shake his hoof, welcome him to the farm, wish him well. He upheld his bearings and took it all in stride. Welcoming each hoofshake, returning every greeting, and always, always maintaining eye contact.

He was amused that little Applebloom was following his lead...or trying to at least. She was still a little shy when some of the older mares got their hooves on her. Everything was going great. The pies and apple related confectionaries for the celebration were coming along nicely. Then he heard AJ shout.

"Soup's on, everypony!"

Well, that was odd. Everyone had agreed to hold off on eating until the celebration was under way. Why in the world would she holler now? That's when he noticed the unicorn and the baby dragon with her. She seemed official, perhaps she was an emissary from the palace, down to check the preparations?

He could swear he'd seen her before. Or perhaps a relative? He wasn't sure. She seemed quite unsettled though, with all the attention and food suddenly thrust upon her. Their eyes locked for a moment when Applejack introduced him as their farmhand and for just a second, something clicked in her mind it seemed. It was gone just as quickly though and she was off with a full belly to inspect something else.

AJ threw her head back and laughed hard.

"Wheeee doggies! That was a hoot. Didja see her face? She's a laugh riot."

Stamping her hooves to get the attention of her family, she spoke loud and proud, the only way she knew how.

"Alright, everypony! Let's get everything together and ready to go! We've still got to set up in Ponyville!"

A round of cheers was her answer and everyone scurried to their respective posts.

* * *

"Woooow! Everything looks so beautiful!"

Applebloom was glancing all around as she sat on Naruto's back, her tiny hooves resting on top of his head for a look at the scenery. He'd worn his necklace on impulse. The Apples all said it looked nice on him, but he really only did it because he felt compelled to. As if it would matter. He smiled up at Applebloom and nodded once, deciding to mimic Big Mac.

"Eyup."

"Yeah, little sis. Rarity outdid herself this year. The Princess being in attendance must have really got her pumped. I bet she started on all this like a week ago."

Naruto kept silent and just kept walking. He sincerely hoped that the Princess wouldn't see him and yet, at the same time, he hoped she would. It would be nice to see her again, however briefly. Perhaps he was overthinking things again. It seemed to be a bad habit lately. Applebloom seemed to pick up on his mood and thumped him on the head.

"Sis says I ain't supposed to let you act like that tonight. And I'm also supposed to help you find some friends. So I got an idea. While Mac and Sis catch up with other ponies, lets go meet some people I know."

Naruto looked up at his rider and blinked his big blue eyes.

"Well, how about we just walk around and you show me where everything is first? I've never been to Ponyville before and I have no idea where we're going."

That seemed to brighten her up. She gave him a chipper 'OK' and off they went. She showed him the school, the library, all the various shops around the square. The park, the market where Applejack set up her apple stand, and then finally they came to townhall, where everyone was gathering. Applebloom hopped off his back to find her schoolfriends and Naruto wandered off to find either Mac or Applejack.

He looked up to where a yellow pegasus with a pink mane was conducting a bird choir, engrossed in her work. It sounded lovely. He saw AJ at a refreshment stand, talking with a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and wandered over when she waved. He couldn't hear what she was saying but she was pointing animatedly in his direction and the unnamed blue filly was looking at him with wide magenta eyes.

"...and this is Naruto. Naruto, this is my friend Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony in Ponyville. She's also part of the Weather Management team in charge of the clouds and rainfall."

Naruto nodded and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Dash."

Rainbow Dash pooched out her bottom lip and stepped a bit closer.

"He doesn't sound like a cool person. He sounds kinda snooty, like Rarity."

"Dash! He's my farmhand and friend. Be nice!"

Naruto had started to say something else when the birds rang out the tune for the Princess' arrival and all attention turned to the mayor. She gave a small speech welcoming the Princess and a white unicorn with a royal purple mane pulled back the curtain revealing...nothing!

Now he was worried. The Princess was never late to anything. The unicorn ran into the room that she was supposed to be sequestered in and ran back out with a gasp.

"She's gone!

Panic started to set in amongst all the ponies present and the mayor struggled to keep her cool and maintain what little order she could. He could hear a pink pony yelling about 'hide and seek' and babbling to the purple unicorn he'd seen earlier. He was about to slink off and see what had happened himself when a purple haze began to form on the balcony.

Murmurs soon turned to outright screams when the haze split apart and a large black mare, an alicorn, appeared, her head held high and a sneer on her face. Naruto froze when he saw the horn and wings. He'd only seen them on one other. And the flowing mane made of starlight was a dead give away.

"Hello, my loyal subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little _sun-lovin_g faces."

Rainbow Dash piped up beside him.

"What did you do to our Princess?"

The mare on the balcony merely laughed and Applejack had to grab Dash by the tail to keep her from flying up to confront their tormentor.

"Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Has my name been forgotten in my exile?"

"Oooooh, I know, I know! Queen Meanie! No, Black Snooty! Bla..."

Applejack was quick enough to shove a cupcake in the pink one's mouth, shutting her up. The pink pony moved to speak again and Naruto clapped a hoof over her mouth while Applejack hissed at her through a mouth of rainbow colored tail.

"Pinkie Pie, shut up!"

At least he had a name now. He had barely listened to what else the nightmarish mare had said to taunt the ponies nearest her, but snapped to when the purple unicorn, Twilight Sparkle, he remembered from her visit to the farm, declared that she was the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon.

_'Well prarie shit. That's gonna make this more difficult if she's Princess Celestia's sister.'_

"I'm glad to see that somepony remembers me. Now, you little sun-lovers, I will cast my shade over this world and the night will rule eternal!"

The mayor finally snapped out of her stupor and ordered the royal guards to attack the black alicorn. They tried valiantly, but were knocked aside by a swipe of her everflowing tail and mane. She cackled evilly as lightning crashed around her and seemed to dissipate into the air, like a mist, and out a window. Everyone stood still, not knowing what to do, as the guards struggled back to their feet. Applejack let go of Rainbow Dash's tail and Naruto released Pinkie Pie's mouth. Rainbow Dash immediately barreled outside. That snapped his mind out of the fog.

It was time for action. Everyone was in disarray, the guard seemingly didn't know what to do. It was time for him to step forward again. A quick look and he found little Applebloom cowering with her friends. That was enought to spur him into action.

"Atten-TION!"

Everyone froze in place, even Twilight Sparkle, who had been on her way out to try to discover a way to stop Nightmare Moon. The royal guards all snapped to attention, their backs straight as Naruto walked forward. His voice rang of authority and one soldier, a Sargeant by the shield on his armor, seemed to recognize him, and even seemed relieved.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant Naruto, it is you! Fall in, soldiers! Officer on deck!"

Everyone stood slackjawed as Naruto stood before the assembled guard, his head held high.

"Alright, listen up! I want a detail of guards to patrol the perimiter of the town. No one gets in, no one gets out! A detail of no more than five and no less than three to scour the area for clues to Princess Celestia's whereabouts. You!"

Twilight Sparkle jumped, nearly dislodging her small dragon pet...Spike, that was his name. She meekly turned to face him.

"As the only one who knew who Nightmare Moon was, you know the most about her. Get to the library and research where she might have gone as fast as you can."

He ignored the indignant grumble that Twilight gave him and turned back to Applejack, only to find her and her friends sprinting after Twilight Sparkle. Well, he'd catch up to them quickly enough. The guards were still stock still, awaiting orders. He stared at the one who had recognized him.

"You! You're in charge til I return. Keep the townsfolk safe and keep things orderly. Do not let anything else happen!"

The Sargeant snapped a salute.

"Yessir, Lieutenant! Its an honor to serve under you again, sir!"

Naruto nodded and made for the door. He had to catch up to the fillies before they did something rash.

"Dismissed!"

**Aaaand done. Working on the third chapter now. Trying to keep it interesting. I wanted to get into the meat of the story, so that time skip was necessary. Don't worry. I'll delve into his past the further we go. I feel that may be why I burnt out on The Melt. I spent so much time on detail that I just...fizzled. But I'm trying. Also, any grammatical errors you catch, please let me know so I can correct them. Thanks guys. Let me know what you think.**


	3. Protecting Harmony

**Hey everybody. Third installment up and running. I hope you like it. Dialogue was always my strong point in my opinion, back in my heyday as a fanfiction writer. That and tugging at the reader's heartstrings. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic at heart and an unapologetic manipulator of emotion. I want a reader to be emotionally invested in my stories, to care about the characters. Sure, this is a silly little story, but its just something I take joy in._ Please Come Home by Uncle Kracker._**

**CHAPTER THREE**

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! How could they have gotten so far ahead of me? I was only a few minutes behind them."

Naruto used every bit of his training to track the six mares down. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten where the library was already. Then it clicked. East side of town. His teeth ground together as he ran. He couldn't let them do this alone. They couldn't stand up to the kind of power that Nightmare Moon exuded. He didn't know if he could either, but he knew for certain they couldn't.

He'd slammed the door of the library open with his shoulder and rushed inside, thankful that Applebloom had shown him where it was earlier in the day. The candles were still lit and books were scattered everywhere. Naruto was near panicking. This wasn't good, not good at all. If anything happened to Applejack, Big Macintosh would have his hide. Especially because of his little show of authority back there.

That was another thing. Now they'd all want an explanation of his past affiliation with the Royal Guard. But that would have to wait. Which book had that studious unicorn used to find where to go? Gods, she'd left books everywhere! Piles of them! He glanced furiously around but nothing stood out. He heard a snore upstairs. Of course! Her little dragon assistant would know.

He pounded up the stairs to find the little creature tucked away in a basket. Normally, he wouldn't be so rude, but time was of the essence. He ripped the blanket away, spinning the tiny dragon out of his bedding, where he hit the floor with an 'ouch'.

"Get up. Wake up! I need to know where those ponies went!"

Spike rubbed his eyes blearily as he tried to wake up. Dragons slept harder than other creatures. He recognized that voice though.

"Hey. Hey! You're the pony at the party that took command of the situation! That was pretty cool, dude!"

"Yes, yes. Cool, whatever! I need to know where your owner went!"

Spike glared at him, his head fins standing up straighter.

"She's my boss, not my owner, buddy! And I don't know where they went. I remember her mentioning something about the Elements of Harmony. I passed out after that. Sorry, big guy."

Naruto slammed a hoof onto the floor, making the whole tree shake and startling Spike, who looked up at him with wide eyes and more than a little fear.

"Then help me find something. Anything! I have to find them before they either catch up to Nightmare Moon or she catches up to them!"

Spike hurriedly hopped down the stairs.

"Alright, alright, sheesh. Rude much?"

"Manners are a luxury I can't afford at the moment. Now help me look!"

"You know, you sound like Rarity right now."

"So I've heard. When I meet her, I'll be sure to compliment her on her impecable manners and attitude. Until then, LOOK!"

Spike immediately dove into a stack of books and began to search titles. Naruto did the same.

"Hexes and Curses. No. Science of Friendship. No. Rotation of Crops...better set that aside for AJ and Mac for later. Lifestyles of the Not so Rich and Famous. No."

"Hey, uh...Mister Naruto?"

"What?"

"Did you look at the bookshelf to see if its there?"

Naruto sighed and wandered over to a random bookshelf.

"Now why would it be here? She looked at it obviously and every other book is strewn about, so why in Celestia's name would..."

"Here it is. Elements of Harmony: A Guide."

"...where'd you find that?"

Spike looked non-plussed as he flipped through the book and shrugged.

"Under the 'E' section. When Twilight's in a rush, she usually puts the book she's looking at back on the shelf. Not so much when she's doing her usual research. Now let's see. Ah, here it is. Last known location of the Elements was in the Ancient Castle in the Everfree Forest. But that's..."

He heard the sound of a crash and looked to see that Naruto had flown through the door, off towards the Everfree Forest. He sighed and flopped down against a pile of books.

"Well, this is certainly a mess."

* * *

Of course, he thought to himself as he ran, whatever you're looking for is always in the spookiest, nastiest place on the planet. Of course a treasure as valuable as the Elements of Harmony were in a dilapidated old castle about to fall down around itself. Of course it was in the middle of an incredibly dangerous and hard-to-get-through forest. Murphy's Law, Naruto, Murphy's Law. Whatever can happen, will happen.

If he ever met Murphy, he'd kill him, just to show him the irony of that little law.

He was making ground now though. Having slummed his way through the forest once, he knew that the most direct way was to go straight through. It was strange though. He felt as if the closer he got to the castle, the more right he felt. Surely that wasn't his destiny? Running toward a rundown castle? He hoped not.

He was halfway through the forest when a roar nearly knocked him on his butt. He slammed to a stop and spread his legs, ready to fight. If it was a manticore, it wouldn't be a long fight. He'd just kill the beast and be on his way. What stepped out of a nearby cave made his heart sink.

It was an Ursa Minor. A Celestial Bear. A cub, to be precise. And where a cub was, his mother wasn't far behind. He didn't have time for this. The Minor took a swing at him and he dodged, letting it take out a couple trees instead. It wouldn't be long before Mamma Bear heard the commotion and made her way over. He really didn't have time for this.

The Ursa Minor chased him a ways as he tried to find a way around it, but it was no good. It was almost like something was controlling it. That's when he saw the purple mist around its head. Of course. Nightmare Moon. The forest was her domain, the area she used to rule from. Of course she'd know the lay of the land.

He didn't want to hurt the cub. That was a sure way to get its mother angry and willing to fight. But he wasn't making it past without doing something. Could he put it to sleep somehow? No, not without knocking it out. This was going to be hard. He was almost resigned to fighting a cub when an earth-shattering roar echoed throughout the forest and Mamma Bear, an Ursa Major. emerged from the cave.

_'Aw prarie shit.'_

...man, he'd been swearing a lot lately. Celestia would be most displeased with him.

The purple mist around the cub's head seemed to disipate, no longer needing to be there now that the mother bear had awoken. Naruto grimaced as the cub ran past its mother and back into the cave. No avoiding a confrontation now. He was almost flattered that Nightmare Moon thought him a big enough distraction to try to keep him away.

The Ursa Major lifted a huge paw and slammed the ground in front of him before roaring again. Intimidation tactics, huh? Seems it didn't want to fight either, but that was only because of the cub. If it fought, it could get hurt. If it was hurt, it couldn't protect the cub. Basic wildlife 101. Always offer the bluff first.

But right now, time was of the essence. A fight would severely drain him and he needed every ounce of strength when he made it to the castle. So he squared his shoulders, and stomped each hoof so hard they left an imprint in the ground. He practically reeked of power as he looked up into the towering eyes of the bear, his furious glare matching her own.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

The Ursa Major was slightly taken aback by the tiny creature's attempt at intimidation. Even through all of its growling, the words had carried to its ears. Surely it didn't think it had a chance? But as it stood at its full height, looking down at the rust-orange pony, it saw something. An aura, if it could be described as such. And it didn't like the feeling.

The little pony that stood before it looked ready to destroy the bear. And it didn't need that. It had a cub to take care of. Slowly, coming down onto all fours and backing away, it continued to growl and circle back to the cave, always keeping Naruto in her sights. Naruto, in turn, circled her as well, ready to bolt at a moments notice.

When he was certain she wasn't coming after him again, he galloped into the bushes and back towards the castle, leaving behind a shaking and frightened pair of Celestial bears. He let out a shuddering breath. He was never doing that again if he could avoid it. Sure, he could have probably beaten the beast, but he'd have been severely hurt.

Some things just weren't worth it.

A scream split the air and he flew into a full on run. He might be too late. Faster and faster he ran, his face settling into a war-torn grimace the closer he got. He hadn't realized how much strength he was putting into his gallop.

* * *

The girls had finally found the Elements of Harmony, but there were only five. Twilight desperately tried to figure out what was the matter, to find the spark she had read about that activated them. But just when she had made her move, Nightmare Moon appeared and teleported both them and the Elements to another tower, away from her new friends.

The Mare in the Moon oozed self-satisfaction. With the Elements in her possession, never again would she be exiled, sealed away. Twilight looked on, dumbfounded as the bringer of Eternal Night shattered their only hope of defeating her into tiny pieces. Literally. The others appeared just in time to see their hopes go up in smoke as the Alicorn cackled maniacly. She used her magic to toss them all about, slamming them into the floor.

Twilight merely stared at the broken pieces of the Elements from her prone position and shut her eyes, blocking out all sound and sight, trying with all her might to find the spark.

They all felt the rumbles, small at first, and building. Even Nightmare Moon had stopped laughing, looking around for the cause. Was the castle collapsing? For a second it stopped and she turned to gloat to the six little ponies in front of her one last time.

She never got to start. A rust-orange blur slammed through the stone wall and into her, barreling the both of them through the adjacent wall and outside. As they fell, she looked into the eyes of her attacker. They were blue, endlessly blue and filled with rage. His mouth was set in a sneer. They landed hard, her shock having prevented her from teleporting away.

The dust was cleared immediately with a flap of her wings and she settled into a ready stance. She was not a fighter. She preferred magic and trickery, but her opponent was obviously battle-ready and wary. He was already to his hooves again, ready for her.

"I promised Princess Celestia that I would protect this land. Her kingdom. I won't let you throw away all her work, sister or not."

Nightmare Moon turned her head slightly, looking at him with one eye.

"You know of my royal blood and still attack me? Why not serve me?"

His hoof struck the ground and cracked it, the fissure snaking all the way to her hoof.

"I promised the Princess on the day I joined the Royal Guard that I would serve the true rulers of Equestria. You are neither of them. And there's one thing I do not do, Nightmare Moon..."

His lips curled back into a contemptuous smirk and he leaned back, ready to spring forward.

"...I never break a promise."

They both lunged forward.

* * *

Applejack heaved herself to her feet and grunted. That had hurt. Badly. She remembered Nightmare Moon slamming them all to the floor, the destroying of the Elements, and then...something had burst through the wall and tackled the Mare in the Moon outside, away from them.

Realization struck her hard enough to shift the hat on her head.

"Naruto!"

She looked left and right for him, but found only ponies trying to recuperate and Twilight Sparkle nearly in tears laying before the ruined pieces of Harmony, whispering to herself.

"Uh, AJ?"

She turned to find Rainbow Dash and the others staring out the window.

"You might wanna come see this. Your farmhand is going head to head with Nightmare Moon."

As she galloped to the window and shoved her way to the glass, she could only think that Rainbow Dash always did have a way with words.

* * *

Naruto snarled as he dodged another piece of her mane that threatened to decapitate him. This fight wasn't to his advantage. Her magic was simply too strong to ignore. She'd tried to fly away and back to the tower, but he'd leaped up and wrapped his legs around her torso, driving her back into the ground. That had surprised her. She'd obviously never encountered an Earth pony with such a prodigious leap before.

She'd tried to engage him in physical combat, but after the first few dozen swipes of his hooves nearly took her head off, she had reverted to magic and found it suited better to dealing with him. Fine, if that's what she wanted, he'd just get in close. He couldn't afford to lose here. His oath to the Princess was on the line.

And the lives of his employer and her friends as well. He had come to enjoy his time with the Apple family. They'd accepted him when they didn't have to and he wouldn't see their dreams shattered because of one mare's selfishness, even if that mare was of royal blood. He'd sworn to Celestia to protect her sister Luna, not Nightmare Moon.

He'd kill her if he had to.

Her flowing tail thrust at him and he ran inside her guard, spearing her through yet another wall and driving her into the cold tile. She lay beneath him, her head twisting this way and that as he pounded his hoooves into her face relentlessly, like jackhammers.

She'd never been hurt before. And this hurt. It hurt so bad. She feared that her skull would break. No one had ever dared to hit her. And this...this lowly Earth pony...a being of no magic...of no regal bearing...decided to strike her? To lay peasant hooves on her?

She threw Naruto off of her in an explosion of power, a cut above her eyes bleeding profusely. She touched a hoof gently to it and stared. It was red. She began to tremble with fury.

"No one has ever drawn my blood before. Consider yourself a fine warrior. To make a goddess bleed is unthinkable. I will keep your memory forever. You would have made a fine servant."

Naruto's tail swished back and forth angrily.

"I make a lousy slave though."

And he was on her again as quickly as he could, kicking, biting, headbutting. He couldn't even tell if he was hurting her. But he had to be. She was being pressed back, bit by bit. But he didn't know if it would be enough. Now, he just wanted to buy the girls enough time to run. He wouldn't be making it out of this alive. Of that he was sure.

He overextended one of his mule kicks and felt her tail envelop him. He was caught. She brought him near her face and sneered.

"You. I'm going to make an example of you."

Her eerie calm did not bode well for him.

He didn't even register as they broke through the floor of the tower, the five mares at the window screaming in terror. Nightmare Moon laughed as she held him aloft for them to see.

"Look, ye mortals! This one dared to strike a Princess, a goddess! To draw her blood! Now, I shall draw his and use it to paint the walls of my palace! I'll use his broken body as a message! This is what happens to those who deny my birthright!"

The mares looked on in horror as she slammed Naruto into every surface she could. She battered him along the wall, the floor, the ceiling. Naruto's vision was a blur. He vaguely noticed where they were. A throne room. They were in the tower with the throne room. His head lolled. Everything was a throb of blood and pain. He wasn't going to live through this.

It was ironic really. Royaltly took him in, royalty was taking him out.

His eyes began to slowly close, but he felt something powerful then. It felt like the magic that Celestia used at times. He could hear voices arguing, and the suddenly self-assured voice of Twilight declaring that she and the other girls were the Spirits of Harmony. His eyes trained on the sparkling pieces of the Elements circling the six ponies.

Maybe they had done it, he thought. A vortex of color enveloped the six and shot toward Nightmare Moon, who screamed in fear. Her moonlight mane retracted and he felt himself falling. He didn't even feel himself hit the stone floor with a heavy thud, in the shadows of a column.

He struggled to straighten his hind legs, but found they wouldn't work. Probably broken. With shuddering breaths, he was able to lock his forelegs in place long enough to lean against a wall. He noticed that the wall felt wet. That was probably his blood. His breaths were shallow and ragged and his body felt heavy as he used the wall for support.

Well, at least he'd kept her at bay long enough for them to stop her. If only he'd fought harder, hit her harder, not been so worried about the girls and collateral damage. But they weren't fighters. That was his job. He'd protected them...

His eyes closed and his body slumped against the wall, still upright. His necklace began to glow with a dull light.

* * *

Applejack smiled at the scene before her. Celestia, released from her bonds, had reunited with her sister Luna and all was right with the world. They'd won the battle, defeated Nightmare Moon, and realized their potential as the Spirits of Harmony. Why, she even had a personal element to prove it! A cute little apple broach. But a little bit of doubt grew in the back of her mind. Not all was right.

Then it clicked. They'd been so engrossed with what had transpired with the Princesses, they'd forgotten about Naruto. Frantically, she looked around and found him leaning against a wall. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. At least he was trying to get up. That meant he was alive. He needed medical attention immediately though. She trotted over to help him, but the closer she got the more her smile faded.

There was blood everywhere. Cuts and bruises all over his body. It scared her. She'd never seen a pony this broken and battered. She stopped just short of him.

"Naruto? Naruto, wake up. Its ok now. We won."

Silence greeted her. Her heart sank further and the others started to take notice. She took another step forward, her ears pinning to the side of her head.

"Naruto, this isn't funny. This isn't a joke like you usually play on me and Big Mac and Applebloom. Wake up. Now!"

The other girls and the two princesses had come up behind her now. Applejack didn't notice. She was focused on Naruto. She leaned in and pushed his shoulder. He didn't move. He felt clammy. Her lips were quivering with fear now.

"Naruto! Naruto, please...wake up."

She sat on her haunches in front of him and her head hung low. Fluttershy wrapped her in a hug when she began to sniffle.

"It ain't right. It ain't fair. He did all the fighting. And I didn't even help him. I just stood there. What am I gonna tell Applebloom? What am I gonna tell Big Mac?"

Fluttershy's own eyes began to tear, her connection to the emotion of kindness making her squeeze Applejack tighter. She hated seeing her friends suffer. Applejack's hat fell to the floor as her shoulders shook, landing between her and Naruto. The rest of the girls looked away from the scene before them, the joyous mood gone, replaced by somberness. Luna looked devastated, but Celestia...

...she was staring intently at the staircase.

* * *

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Something was coming down the stairs. It couldn't be a pony. No one was there except the ponies present. Celestia looked at the crying mares. None of them seemed to register the steps. She nudged Luna to get her attention.

"Sister, do you hear that?"

Luna dried her eyes and listened intently, her ears twitching back and forth.

"It sounds like someone's coming this way and they're...grumbling to themselves?"

Celestia nodded and kept her eye trained on the stairwell, trying her best not to disturb the grieving mares. She wasn't worried just yet. Naruto wasn't dead yet. He needed help, yes, but he wasn't dead. His breathing was shallow, his heartbeat slow. He was close to death. But close wasn't dead. Before she helped him, she wanted to make sure that they were in the clear.

The creature that turned the corner of the stairwell was one she'd never seen before, but she was used to them by now. She'd never thought she'd see one outside her dreams though. It was female, with long blonde pigtails trailing down her back. Her chest was massive and barely held in by a small gray shirt. She was solid, real, but the six mares didn't notice her. Only she and Luna seemed to be able to.

Her breath hitched as the unknown female creature stopped and looked at Naruto, her delicate eyebrows cocked. One hand went to her forehead, covering the blue diamond that adorned it, while the other hand went to her hip, balled in a fist. Her foot was tapping an angry stocatto on the tiled floor.

"_I swear, you can be the stupidest, most dense idiot on the face of the earth, Naruto."_

Celestia and Luna were taken aback. It wasn't hostile in its words. It sounded...sad and loving, full of care and disappointment and aggravation. They watched as she approached and knelt before the blonde maned pony. Her once angry eyes softened and she sighed.

"_Always leaping in to help before you know the situation. Always willing to put yourself in harm's way to help others. When are you ever going to be a little self-serving? When are you going to learn that you can't take the weight of the world on your shoulders?"_

Her pale hand, with its manicured and painted nails, rose up and came to a rest on the side of his cheek. Her smile was almost motherly.

"_I hate how you do this to yourself, Naruto. You always do this. You tear your body apart just to help your friends. When will you learn that you have to let others help you? What will it take? You were given another chance and you just tried to throw it away."_

A single tear slid from her eye and dropped to the tile below, simply dissipating ethereally.

"_I can't be there to patch you up when you do stupid things anymore. You have to be more careful. I know you can't hear me, but you have to stop this. It hurts all of us to see you do this to yourself. And I'm not allowed to come again. You're supposed to be at peace here. Why do you always seek out trouble?"_

The female's chocolate brown eyes closed and she leaned her forehead against his.

"_Just be at peace, Naruto. That's all we want. We want you to be happy. You hear me, you stupid brat? Be happy, damn it!"_

She leaned back and put her hands on either side of his head gingerly.

"_This is the last time, Naruto. I can't do this ever again. You're on your own. I can't stand to see you broken and bloodied like this again._ _I saw it too often in that long ago time. Just be safe until we meet again."_

She pressed her lips to his forehead as she had done so long ago. The blue diamond on her forehead shimmered and began to disappear. Everyone gasped and stood back as the wounds on his body began to smoke and sizzle, the cuts closing and the bruises disappearing. They could hear the sound of broken bones mending, snapping back into place. The blonde female leaned back and slowly slid him down the wall, taking care to gently lay him on his side. To those who couldn't see her, it looked natural, like his body had finally succumbed to gravity.

She stood to her full height, unbidden tears in her eyes as she looked down at him. Applejack exclaimed that he was breathing again with joy. Too soft for the Spirits of Harmony to hear, but magically carrying to the ears of the woman and the princesses, he murmured.

"...baa-chan..."

He'd never know he said it.

The grin that came to the woman's face threatened to split it and she wiped furiously at her eyes. Her form began to break apart and disappear from the feet up. As her torso began to mist away, she turned to the sisters, happy tear tracks running down her cheeks.

"_I've waited so long to hear him say that again...damn brat..."_

And like that she was gone.

Celestia wasted no time in teleporting everyone out of the ancient castle. She had had enough excitement for one day.

* * *

Naruto's eyes fought to stay closed. He hurt all over. He remembered fighting Nightmare Moon, but it was all a blur after she started slamming him around the throne room. Since he was alive and breathing, he could only assume that everything worked out in the end. He slowly let his gaze roll around the room. He was in his room on the farm.

Suddenly yellow and red invaded his vision and he was assaulted with a hug.

"OhMisterNarutoIwassoafraidwe'dlostyouandyouwouldn'twakeupandiwassoscared..."

Naruto gagged and tried to breath. He hadn't known Applebloom had that kind of strength in her.

"Applebloom...I can't...breathe..."

The little filly let go of him enough to where his windpipe wasn't crushed, but she wouldn't let go completely. He felt something wet hit his neck. She was crying. He put a leg around her and rubbed her back. He ignored the pain that it brought him.

"Shhh, shhh...its ok. Everything's ok. Don't cry. I've told you before to only cry when you're happy."

Applebloom hiccupped and giggled a bit.

"But I am happy. I'm happy you're alive."

She leaned back now and rubbed her eyes, trying to calm down.

"I was so scared you weren't going to wake up..."

"We all were."

Naruto leaned around the filly and locked eyes with Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith right behind her. He gave them a smile and laid his head back on the pillow.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself. We were afraid we'd lost ya."

"So I've heard."

"That was a right foolish thing you did, Naruto. You took on Nightmare Moon all by yourself. You should have died from what she did."

"I lead a charmed life."

Applejack stepped forward and lowered her head so that their gazes were even.

"You owe us all an explanation. Princess Celestia told us a bit, but she said that the story was yours to tell. So, when you're feeling up to it, you owe us a story, _Lieutenant."_

Naruto cringed. He'd momentarily forgotten about his little show at the Celebration.

"There's not much to tell, Applejack."

Her look of incredulity seemed to burn him.

"Really? Not much to tell, hmm? Seems like you're seriously underestimating your value to Princess Celestia then."

He cocked an eyebrow and she tipped her hat back, a habit she'd picked up when she was about to make a point.

"Oh, that's right. You've been out, so you don't know. Right now there's two royal guards outside your door. There's five more out in the orchard bucking trees. We haven't done a lick of work in over a week because the Princess wanted us to let her know as soon as you woke up. We've been watching you round the clock, unless I'm in town selling apples. Those guards are working like they have something to prove. They guard the door like its a matter of life and death. You. Have. Some. Explaining. To. Do. Mister."

Naruto sighed and began to try to prop himself up. Big Mac ambled forward and helped him into a sitting position. His breathing labored for a second. Everything hurt.

"Alright. Let's do this before I lose my nerve or pass out."

* * *

It had been hours since he'd told the Apple family his backstory. It hadn't been as hard as he thought. He trusted the Apples. They were good, honest folk. It had spilled forth from his mouth. Hour upon hour passed and they hung on every word.

He'd told them everything. From being practically raised by the Princess, to joining the military, to being her bodyguard. He told them what the medals above his bed meant, what he'd recieved them for. Military honors. Exemplary service.

He told them everything. His trials as the only Earth pony in the three Court Guards. How he became a role model for newer recruits because, if he could make it, how could they not? He told them of his rising in the ranks. He told them of the things he'd done, the places he went.

And Applejack shared the story of her adventures on the way to the castle and how Twilight Sparkle had figured out exactly which Element they each were as their journey wound on. He'd chuckled and told her that her being the Spirit of Honesty was't too much of a stretch. She always said what was on her mind, even when no one wanted to hear it.

They'd left when he started yawning. Applebloom wanted to stay and keep him company but Big Mac had shuffled her out, saying he needed his rest. Granny Smith promised him a big breakfast in the morning and left. Applejack turned before she went out and gave him a smile.

"Thank you."

The door shut and Naruto rolled over, pulling the covers over his head. He was asleep within minutes.

* * *

He could feel himself being watched. It was annoying. All he wanted was to sleep and regain his strength and maybe not hurt so much. He groaned and pulled the covers tighter. Through the fog of his mind he heard a familiar giggle. He rolled over and looked out of a slit in the sheets only to be met with two big twinkling, mischievious familiar eyes.

"Boo."

He yelped and fell off the bed in a tangle of limbs and covers and curses. Celestia laughed demurely behind her hoof and looked down at her gawking sister. The poor thing was still unused to how things were nowadays and stuck to her side like glue.

"See, Luna? I told you my old student was quite funny."

Another string of muffled curses came from the blankets as Naruto struggled to release himself and she thumped him with a hoof.

"Naruto, language! There are ladies present."

**And done. More to come soon. Let me know what you think.**


	4. Offers and Conversations

**Hello all you happy people! pudgypudge here, with the fourth installment of the story. A little longer than usual. Hope you like that. More people are into this than I thought. I am genuinely surprised. There are some dissenters, to which I say...have you tried it? If not, how do you know you like it? It's a cartoon, people, not a drug. Its not like you'll get addicted and find yourself in a gutter the next morning. Oh, final note. I'm mixing up the timeline of MLP a bit. It shouldn't affect too much since time and seasons in the show seem to be relative. Events relating to the core group seem to have the most relevance. Hope you enjoy! _We Live by_**_ Rehab._

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The novelty of Naruto trying to get out of his bedsheet prison wore off quickly and Celestia put a hoof on top of the wriggling lump to cease his movements. She knew he had to still be sore and any movement was bound to keep him hurting for quite a while. She gently peeled back the covers until he was revealed and smiled down warmly at him, his big blue eyes peering out at her with an almost childlike and barely repressed wonder.

"Hello once more, my faithful student. It has been so long since last we met. You remember of course, my sister, Princess Luna?"

Naruto nodded dumbly and turned toward the midnight colored princess. She gave him an awkward smile and dipped her head. He nervously turned to his mentor and Celestia chuckled.

"My sister is most grateful to you for your role in releasing her from her thousand years of madness. I daresay that if you hadn't been your usual selfless self, then our world would be shrouded in darkness now. And on that note..."

Luna took a step back now as Celestia took a step forward, frowning down at the Earth pony, who suddenly felt very small.

"What you did was perhaps the stupidest, most idiotic, moronic thing I have ever heard of somepony ever doing! Whatever in your right mind made you think you could take on a being such as Nightmare Moon is beyond me! I taught you better than that. I taught you to think ahead and you didn't. I taught you to plan ahead and you didn't. You just barreled into her and began to pummel her with your hooves. It was foolish, suicidal, ignorant..."

She found it was hard to keep up her words as she looked down at her former student. His normally proud and big frame seemed so small and frail as he weathered her dressing down. Deciding that she'd berated him enough, she leaned her head down and nuzzled his cheek.

"It was also one of the bravest, most selfless acts of heroism I've ever been witness to. You faced down a goddess with no thought for your own safety, all to protect Equestria as you were taught and raised to do. If ever there was a pony that deserved praise, it is you. There is no reason for you to ever feel shame for what you did and I can never thank you enough, Naruto. Now, rise and stand proud before your princesses."

With help from Celestia herself, Naruto rose from his position on the ground and stood to his full height again, ignoring the throbbing pain of his leg muscles. He bowed his head slightly to them.

"I feel I am not worthy of such praise, Princess, but you also taught me to be grateful for a pony's thanks. I am honored by this visit of the Princesses of the Sun and Moon and humbled that you think me a hero, though my duty and loyalty to you is enough for me."

Celestia shook her head in amusement and turned to Luna, who stared at the rust-orange pony thoughtfully.

"I told you that he had impeccable manners when the situation required them. He can be somewhat uncouth in private company, as evidenced by his language earlier, but he's a sweet and gentle colt otherwise."

Luna nodded.

"Yes, you certainly taught him well, sister. I can't remember a pony with a sense of loyalty and duty as this one. And such fine manners. Yes, if he will accept my offer, he is exactly what I'm looking for."

Naruto's back and legs straightened subconciously as he came to attention once more.

"What need have you of me, my Princess?"

Luna seemed hesitant at first, but a nudge from Celestia spurred her to continue, with a little advice.

"Remember to use your 'inside voice'."

Luna nodded and took a deep breath, before speaking in a soft tone.

"As you know from your time as the bodyguard of my sister, the three Court Guards have dutifully patrolled the palace and kept order in the kingdom. With my banishment, my personal Guard was more of a symbolic thing, under the direction of my sister and only kept in place because of tradition. With my return to the ruling body of government, I have retaken control of my Guard and am in need of somepony brave, wise, and with an iron hoof to lead them."

She locked eyes with him and held his gaze.

"I would like you to consider this offer, Sir Naruto. Would you honor me by becoming Captain of my Guard?"

Naruto was dumbfounded. Captain? Of the Lunar Guard no less? It was something he had dreamed of since his induction into the ranks of service. To be a Captain was something he had wanted and wished for since he was a young colt. But...he sighed and looked away to the wall where he hung his medals and the empty peg where his necklace usually hung. The weight of the jewel against his chest felt comforting and he shook his head slowly.

"Princess...the offer is a generous one and anypony would and should be honored to find themselves in your favor. But...I don't belong in the Court Guard anymore. I was discharged and I left that life behind me the day I left the palace. I wandered forever until the Apples took me in. During my life as a soldier I felt content to serve until my dying day, but I didn't really know a sense of happiness until I came here."

He turned back to the darker princess and gave her a small sad smile and a bow.

"I never imagined I would ever turn down an opportunity to serve my country again, but I must decline. My place is here, amongst my friends. They need me more than the Court Guard does."

He looked up and flashed her his trademark grin, the one only he could do.

"Besides, if I leave, who is going to protect those girls when they do something stupid again?"

Luna shook her head and turned to look at her sister.

"Celestia told me that would be your answer. She said that the walls of the palace could no longer hold you. I had hoped you would say 'yes', but I respect your decision. However, my sister has a request of you. I would appreciate you hearing her out. Before I go, allow me to bestow upon you the Blessing of the Moon."

She stepped directly in front of him and bade him bring his head to her level. When he had done so, she placed her forehead against his, careful not to poke him withe her horn, closed her eyes, and spoke in the Royal voice.

"May the light of Luna's Moon guide your steps ever in darkness. If ever lost, may you find your path with ease. May your dreams be filled with goodness. And may your hooves always lead you to your heart's true desire."

She smiled and backed away from him with a small curtsey.

"We hope to meet you again one day soon, Sir Naruto. Sister Celestia, we shall await you at the carriage. Farewell and good fortunes."

Celestia waited until the door clicked shut before sighing and smiling in Naruto's direction.

"She always was a formal little thing and given to dramatics. 'Sir Naruto'. I do believe she's taken a liking to you."

"That's not funny, Princess. She was just being polite, as I'm sure she was taught to be."

Celestia nodded, her smile still in place.

"Indeed. Naruto, I have a small propostion for you. It would only take a small amount of your time and your wouldn't have to do it very often."

"I am always at your service, Milady."

"I wish for you to come by every couple of months and inspect the three Court Guards. With Luna back and commanding her guard once more, some of the pressure has been lifted, but I feel that the soldiers have become lax and lazy. They need someone to whip them into shape. Someone with great strength and presence?"

Naruto nodded his head.

"If this is what you require and it would not hinder my work on the farm, Milady, I will do as you ask. I ask only that you send a couple of guards to work in my place. Applejack and Macintosh work themselves to the bone otherwise. When shall I make the first inspection?"

"When you are fully healed. No sooner and no later. You've done enough for now, Naruto. Rest and recuperate. It was good seeing you again and I look forward to having you at the palace. I'll have your old quarters cleaned and prepared for you. Oh, and Naruto?"

"Yes Milady?"

"Did you sense anything...out of place...while you fought Nightmare Moon."

"No. I felt only a sense of righteousness and...for lack of a better word, peace. I've always felt at home in the heat of battle. But it can't compare to the feeling of happiness I get from working on the farm and spending time with the Apple family. And I'm quite sure that I'll have to be more sociable in the near future."

Celestia nodded her head knowingly.

"Yes, you will. Especially with Applejack and her friends. They ask about you constantly, you know. I believe getting to know those you saved better would be good for you. Don't make me make that an order."

"Yes ma'am."

"Goodbye, Naruto. If you need to contact me, seek out the dragon Spike, Twilight's little assistant. Now rest up."

* * *

He watched from the window until the carriage pulled away into the sky and pushed the door open, stepping out onto the small porch. The Apples, who had been watching the princesses and their entourage fly away, turned toward him at the sound of his hoofsteps. Little Applebloom bounded up to him and latched onto his legs.

"You're walking without limping again! Yay! How long until you can take me riding again?"

"Applebloom, don't bother him. He'll take you for a ride when he's better. He just woke up not too long ago."

Naruto smiled down at Applebloom and patted her on the head with one of his big hooves, pushing down on her large bow and eliciting a pout.

"Just let me get my strength back and we can go whenever you're ready, little one. Could you do me a big favor though?"

He laughed when she nodded hard enough to break her neck.

"Could you fetch me a fresh apple or two? I'm famished."

Applebloom practically beamed at the thought of being useful and darted off toward the orchard.

"Oh no you don't, young lady! You know you can't get those apples without help!"

Applejack ran off after the laughing filly, promising to return so she could get some answers. Big Mac watched his sisters run off and ambled over to sit beside Naruto. Both sat in silence for a moment, looking out at the two sisters disappearing over the hill. Neither looked at the other.

"My sisters were right upset that ya almost died."

"I heard."

"I were none too pleased with ya myself."

"I've already gotten chewed out by Princess Celestia herself, if it makes you feel any better."

"A mite. But not much. Yer practically family at this point, Naruto. Yer like another brother to Applejack and Applebloom. Yer my best friend. And Applejack and I depend on ya so much here on the farm. I never knew how much help we needed until ya came along. And little Applebloom learns so much from ya. If ya ever left us I don't know what we'd do."

"Your drawl gets worse when you're upset. Did you know that?"

"Shut up. I'm being serious."

Naruto chuckled and Mac joined in. Both still refused to look at the other. Naruto sighed as he saw the silhouettes of the girls coming back over the hill with a basket of apples.

"You ever tell Applejack I told you this and I'll knock your head off. I was offered a position as the Captain of the Lunar Guard."

No sign of recognition came from Big Mac, but his ever-present wheat stalk rolled to the other side of his mouth.

"And?"

"...I turned her down. I had the opportunity of a lifetime and I turned it down. You know Applejack would skin me alive if she knew I turned down a request from the Princess herself."

"Yep. She'd definitely tan yer hide at the very least."

"But Princess Celestia had a compromise ready. Every couple of months I have to report to Canterlot and inspect the three Court Guards to make sure they're as efficient as they should be. I know that me missing work is a burden on you and AJ, so I arranged to have a couple of guards sent over to cover for me."

Mac's half-lidded eyes continued to stare out at nothing in particular.

"Are ya happy with what you've decided on?"

"Very."

"Good. Then ya ain't got nothing to worry about. Best prepare yourself for a few visits to town and at least a couple visitors here. I reckon you're in for quite a bit of socialization over the next few days."

"Socialization? When did your vocabulary perk up?"

"Must be from hanging around you so much."

"Eyup."

Mac grunted and stood back up, and started to amble off toward the barn. Once Naruto was healed up, the guards working in the orchard would be recalled. He wanted to get every drop of work out of them that he could.

"Dont' be a smartass. And Naruto? Good to have ya back."

Naruto grinned as the girls cantered back up.

"Yeah, it's good to be back. Good talk, Mac."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow and watched her brother trot toward the orchards. Applebloom held up an apple with her tiny hooves and Naruto gently took it from her.

"And what were you two talking about?"

Naruto bit into an apple and chewed contentedly before swallowing and sighing.

"Oh, you know. Just guy talk."

* * *

Naruto sighed as he watched the guards run about the orchard, fulfilling whatever demands Big Mac or Applejack had of them. He could hear Applebloom and her new friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle giggling as they ran around playing behind him. He was happy for the little filly. Outside of some school playmates, she'd never had any real friends. It was good to see her growing into her own.

While the story of how they'd met was cute and adorable and whatnot, he figured that he might have to nip this Cutie Mark Crusader business in the bud sooner or later. His own blank flank might convince them that he needed to join their little club.

Everyone had carried on without him while he'd been incapacitated apparently. When the doctor had assured them that outside of having general soreness and a bit of drymouth when he woke up, he would otherwise be fine. Having heard that, they all carried on with their lives, coming in every so often to check up on him.

The Apples did a pretty good job of that so everyone else was pretty much coming to watch him sleep. It was touching that they cared though. And funnily enough to him, Fluttershy had been the one to come by the most, being the closest to the farm and most empathetic of the group. She had hated seeing him be in pain.

Of course, they all had responsibilities to take care of. And if there was ever anyone who understood the importance of responsibilities, it was him. Besides, what were they going to accomplish sitting at his bedside?

He'd heard a couple of interesting stories from Applejack on what she and her friends had been up to. Twilight had scored all six of them a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala and even little Spike had gotten one. When she'd expressed a desire to get him one, he'd shot it down quickly. That night was hers and her friends'. Besides, he'd been to the Gala every year since he'd been taken in by the Princess.

It simply wasn't his cup of tea. Granted, he'd never actually gone as a guest, per say, but still...

He heard about their run-in with one of Rainbow Dash's old friends, Gilda the Griffon, and what a jerk she was to everyone, especially poor Pinkie, who had only wanted to be her friend. He almost wished he'd been there for that. Not only for the pranks pulled, but to have had a word with this Gilda. He'd put a few griffons in their place before.

It had been great fun fighting griffons. They had no sense of backing down from a fight. He chuckled lightly to himself and laid his head down on his forelegs. The sun was beaming down just right for a nap on the porch that afternoon.

* * *

He awoke several hours later after the moon had already risen and yawned. He must have been more tired than he thought. It seemed that everyone else thought he shouldn't be disturbed. He stood and stretched his muscles. Tomorrow he was going to go back on light duty if nothing else. He couldn't stand laying around anymore. Applejack was going to let him run the stand at least.

And speak of the devil and she shall appear...Applejack cantered tiredly back toward the house, coming from the direction of town. Naruto watched as she yawned and traipsed up the steps, not even registering that he was there.

"Evening, AJ. You just gonna go to bed without saying 'good night'?"

She startled and spun around to stare at him, his figure obscured by shadow, but his big blue eyes shone in the moonlight. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Naruto. It's just you. You scared me for a second there. Sorry about not seeing you, but it's been kind of a long night."

"How so?"

"Well, you remember when I came back this evening from the stand and I was complaining about that Trixie character? Well, turns out two of her little fans decided that they wanted to see her beat an Ursa Major so they went and coaxed one out of its den."

Naruto was immediately in front of her, checking her for injuries. Applejack snorted and pushed him away from her.

"I ain't hurt. Stop being such a mother hen! Anyway, the bear came into town and started roaring and stuff and Trixie couldn't stop it because her magic wasn't powerful enough. Twilight used her's to lull it to sleep with a lullaby, make a makeshift bottle out of the town watertower, and then levitated it all the way back to the Everfree Forest."

"And Trixie?"

"She ran off, still talking about how great she was. I tell ya, Twilight is really powerful. I don't think any of us really knew how much until she did all that. Turns out that the bear was an Ursa Minor, just a little baby, and it was cranky from being woken up. Still, it took a lot to do what Twilight did."

"I'll have to congratulate her on a job well done. Celestia always did have an eye for talent."

"Must be why she chose you for a student before Twilight."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope, I was just an urchin she picked up off the streets. Ain't nothing special about me except for my strength."

Applejack smirked and bumped his shoulder.

"'Ain't', huh? I knew we'd rub off on you sooner or later. We'll make an Apple out of you yet. Oh, before I forget..."

She reached back and dug around in her saddlebag for a moment before pulling out a decorative envelope.

"...dish ish fa ya. Fom Pinkie."

Naruto took it from her and took out the note from inside, spreading it on the ground.

"An invitation to a Welcome to Ponyville/Thanks for Saving Us/You're All Better so Let's be Friends Party?"

"Pinkie never has been too good at naming things. Its a party in your honor, for all the help you've given us and a thank you for saving us. Plus, you'll get to meet everyone in Ponyville because Pinkie got the Mayor to let us do it at Town Hall, just like the Summer Sun Celebration. And yes, you have to attend. It's at the end of the week, so you've got a few days."

"But AJ..."

"But nothing! You deserve this. We already settled on it and you're going. Every pony in Ponyville wants to meet you."

"But I...urgh...fine. We'll argue about it in the morning. Good night, Applejack."

Applejack yawned and walked past him, swishing her tail and knocking him in the head.

"Good night, Naruto. Get some sleep on a bed for once."

Naruto nodded and stared back up at the moon. He wasn't sleepy at all. He had no one to talk to though and it was late. He decided to take a walk through the orchard.

It was nice out in the orchard at night. The moonlight glinted off the unharvested apples like light sparkles off gemstones. He loved being out in nature like this. He looked out toward the field he had plowed just a year ago, the various vegetables growing tall and strong. That was his handiwork.

He wandered around the barn and found a good spot to meditate. He sat down on his haunches, clapped his hooves together in front of him and shut his eyes, letting all thoughts just vanish. He could hear the wind as it rustled tree leaves, the sound of one of the water pumps dripping, the sound of the pigs snorting in their sleep. Why the Apples kept pigs, he'd never know. It wasn't like they served a true purpose to the farm.

His steps took him to the edge of the farm and Luna's moon was now at its peak. He recognized where he was. It was where Mac had found him all that time ago. It seemed like a lifetime had passed. Looking up he saw apples hanging again. Licking his lips he turned around and gave the tree a thump with his back leg to shake a few apples loose.

"Eeeek!" Thump. "Ow."

Naruto froze and slowly turned his head to find Fluttershy on his back, in a tangle of hair and limbs. Her blue eyes met his through her mane and she squealed again in fright, falling off his back. He spun and put a hoof on her tail before she could fly off, her wings flapping hard as she hovered.

"Now, now, don't run off. I'm not mad. Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

Fluttershy lowered herself back to the ground and hid her eyes behind her mane, her tail curling around her feet. She knew that Naruto was a good pony. Applejack had said so and she was the Spirit of Honesty after all. But her crippling shyness got the best of her again.

She chanced a glance up at him. Goodness, he was huge! He was almost as big as Big Macintosh and she'd never seen a pony as big as him! She began to panic again when he lowered himself onto the ground in front of her. He was still bigger than her even when laying down.

"Good evening. My name is Naruto. You are Miss Fluttershy, correct?"

Fluttershy's head snapped up a tiny bit at the mention of her name. How did he know her? He smiled at her unasked question.

"Applejack speaks of you quite often. She's very fond of you. She's told me that you're the kindest pony she's ever met and at times the bravest."

Fluttershy's cheeks blushed slightly and she looked away.

"Oh, no no no. I'm...I'm not brave. Not at all."

"That's not what I've heard. It was very brave to approach a manticore."

She turned her blue eyes to him.

"The poor little thing just had a thorn in his paw. It wasn't brave. I was just being kind to him."

"Sometimes the kindest thing to do is also the bravest, Miss Fluttershy. You sell yourself short. Speaking of kindness, I'd like to thank you for coming to visit me while I was incapcitated. I only wish I hadn't been such a bad host by sleeping."

"Oh! Oh no, you weren't a bad host at all. I mean, you couldn't help it after all. You're not a bad person..."

She trailed off as she watched his chest rise and fall from his chuckling. He was laughing at her! No, wait...he'd made a joke. She hadn't caught it til that moment. Her cheeks heated up again.

"Now, now, don't get embarrased. I didn't mean any harm by my little joke. I'm actually very flattered that you thought enough of me to visit even though you don't know me."

"But you saved us from Nightmare Moon! It was the least I could do. I felt bad when I saw you with all those cuts and bruises. It was the closest I've ever seen anypony to...to..."

"Death?"

She nodded meekly and looked away again. Naruto sighed.

"Miss Fluttershy, it's alright to be scared sometimes. To tell you the truth, I get scared all the time."

She gasped and locked eyes with him once more. How could he be scared of anything? He nodded his head sagely.

"I'm scared all the time. What if something happens to the Apples? What if something happens to the farm? When I was on my way to you all in the castle I was scared. What if I don't make it in time? What if I can't stop her? What will happen if I don't stop her? What'll happen to them if I die?"

Fluttershy just sat and observed him for a moment before it struck her.

"Weren't you...weren't you afraid to...to die?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I was a soldier before I came here, Miss Fluttershy. I was the personal bodyguard of Princess Celestia. My life for my Princess. I only fear what would happen once I'm gone. Who would have kept Nightmare Moon at bay until Twilight found the spark she was looking for? Where would the Apple family find a worker that can do what I can do?"

Fluttershy didn't know what to think about this pony. He only worried about others. He was willingly going to sacrifice himself just so she and her friends could live. It bothered her that someone would willingly throw their life away. It made her...angry...

"How could you? How could you even think that throwing your life away is the right thing to do?"

Naruto was taken aback by her forceful question, even moreso when she stood and glared at him.

"What about the feelings of those around you? How can you even pretend to think that your life doesn't matter? Princess Celestia was beside herself! Applejack didn't sleep until the doctor had declared you healthy and said you'd wake up soon! And don't get me started on poor little Applebloom! How could you think you don't matter?"

"I never said I don't matter. I just think that if my life could give you yours, then I'd make that choice in a heartbeat. And I did. And I don't regret it."

Fluttershy collapsed back onto the ground, her anger gone. What he'd said...he truly believed.

"Kindness isn't just doing what others want, Miss Fluttershy. Sometimes you have to do things that they don't want you to do for them. Even if the cost is dear to you, you have to make a choice. That manticore could have knocked your head off, yet you went ahead and did what you felt was the right thing. And I know for a fact that your friends couldn't be prouder of you for having done that."

She nodded. She knew that, even if she sometimes told herself differently.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Miss Fluttershy. You're a very sweet individual and I don't like upsetting nice ponies. I just wanted to meet you and tell you I appreciated coming to visit me."

He rose back to his full height and she felt small again. She just knew she'd offended him with what she'd said and now he wouldn't want to be friends with her. Way to go, Fluttershy. All of her blood rushed to her face when he picked her up by the nape of her neck and lifted her to her hooves. He gave her a small bow of his head and a warm smile.

"Now, it is very late and I have to get up early tomorrow and I imagine so do you. Will you do me the honor of letting me walk you home?"

She couldn't say anything for a moment. Hadn't she made him angry? Why was he being nice? Her mouth tried to speak, but couldn't.

"Don't fear, Miss. You didn't offend me. You just said what you felt was right. Never feel shame for that. Now allow me to walk you home."

She nodded dumbly and he let her lead the way, staying by her side. Fluttershy kept her gaze on the ground as they walked, not wanting to say anything else. She was still beating herself up for her imagined offense when they arrived at her house.

"You have a lovely home, Miss Fluttershy. But I fear our walk is at an end. Do feel free to call on me if you ever need any help, ok?"

She stood there frozen as he smiled and turned to walk back to the farm.

"Wait!"

He looked back over his shoulder questioningly and she felt tiny again.

"Are you...will you be my friend? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, but I..."

He chuckled and turned around to face her, his megawatt smile fully in place.

"Miss Fluttershy, of course I'm your friend. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to be friends with somepony like yourself. Now, it is late and we both have early days. I hope to see you again soon."

She watched as he disappeared into the darkness and opened her door. Once she was inside where nopony could see her she squealed, flying slightly into the air as her wings flapped with happiness. She had a new friend! A brave friend! A strong friend! Someone she could talk to who didn't judge her!

Her day was already looking up...now if she could just get to sleep...

* * *

Naruto yawned as he woke up. It was still early and he'd only gotten a few hours sleep but he felt great. He was happy to have met Fluttershy out by herself where he could talk to her. When she didn't have the judging eyes of other ponies on her, she opened up a bit more and the more she got used to him, the more talkative she'd be he imagined.

He stepped outside into the cool morning air and took a deep breath. It was a great day to get back on track again. He was going to do something constructive today, come hell or high water. The guards that were on loan from the Princess stepped out of the barn and yawned, nodding in deference once they saw him, before stepping into the farmhouse. Granny Smith was already up and about and cooking breakfast.

No wonder those guards were up so early. Homecooking wasn't a luxury one got in the Palace. He imagined they'd be sad to go back. Plus, Granny loved cooking for everyone. She got a kick out of the way they devoured her confectionaries.

The sun had risen by the time Applejack, Big Mac, and the guards wandered outside to begin the day. They saw him sitting by a tree and the siblings trotted up with smiles as the guards continued on to the fields and orchard.

"Morning, Naruto. You're up early."

"Not too early. Applejack, I have to get out and do something. I want to run the stand today."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Doc says you're supposed to rest up. I don't think..."

His answer was to lift his hoof and slam it sideways into the truck, making the whole tree shake.

"I'll be back to normal in the next few days, Applejack. Give me a break here. I'm going stir crazy! It's not like I'm plowing or anything. I'm just gonna pull the cart into town and set up the stand. No biggie."

She mouthed his last words like a little kid and stuck her tongue out.

"Fine, fine. Ya been a good colt for most of yer downtime so I'll let you do this. Do you know how to make change?"

He gave her a deadpan stare and Mac snickered. She grinned sheepishly and rubbed her chin.

"I'll take that as a yes. Well come on and I'll show you how to set up everything and then you can go. I wanted to get a few things set up around here anyway. While you're headed that way, do you mind dropping Applebloom off at school?"

"Not at all. I planned to go in a little early and get some breakfast anyway. No offense to Granny but I've had enough pie for the next couple days. I want some donuts or something."

* * *

Pulling something with weight felt good, Naruto decided. Being able to put his muscles to use helped his mood immensely. Applebloom chattered on about nothing and everything as she walked beside him, her tiny saddlebags full of her school supplies. Naruto nodded along with what she said, asking questions where appropriate, and laughing at her little jokes.

It wasn't long until they had come into Ponyville proper and Naruto looked up at the sun. They still had a bit of time before school started.

"Hey, Applebloom. Do you think that Sugarcube Corner is open yet? I didn't have breakfast."

"Yeah, the Cakes always open early. Can I get a cupcake?"

He laughed as she bounced ahead of him to show him the way.

"So long as you don't tell your sister you can. My treat."

She ran off with a yell of joy, Naruto laughing as he trotted quickly behind her. The cart didn't even register to him and it wasn't long before they stood at the door of the bakery. Naruto unhooked himself from the cart and they stepped inside, the bell above the door jingling as it opened.

"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! I'll be with you in a moment!"

"Ok, Pinkie!"

A pink head popped around the doorframe, revealing Pinkie Pie, flour dotting her mane like polka dots. She smiled at the little filly before gasping when she saw Naruto. Before he could blink she was in front of him, hopping up and down excitedly.

"Oh my gosh, it is you! Hi, Naruto! I'm Pinkie Pie, but you probably already knew that because of Applebloom. I wanted to thank you sooooo much for saving us back at the old castle from Black Snooty, so I decided to throw you a party! Did you get the invitation? I sent it with Applejack and she said she gave it to you and she's always honest so I imagine you did get it, but..."

Her blabbering stopped when Naruto shoved a hoof in her mouth, just as he did at the Celebration. He gave her a lopsided grin and squinted his eyes.

"Miss Pie, it is a delight to see you under such civil conditions this time and I apologize for my rudeness, but I have to get Applebloom to school soon and set up the cart at the market before it opens. Could I get a chocolate donut for myself and a cupcake for Applebloom?"

Pinkie blinked as he removed his hoof from her mouth and took a deep breath.

"Wow, you really are strong. Not many can stop me once I get going, well, the girls can stop me because they know how to, but others can't because usually they say my mouth is like a hurricane..."

"Miss Pie. My breakfast please? I'll be happy to speak to you at another time, but we both have jobs to get to."

Pinkie seemed to deflate for a moment before brightening again and nodding her head.

"Sure! I'll be right back with them! And now I know where I'm going for lunch!"

She bustled off to the back in a flurry of pink, leaving a stunned Naruto and a giggling Applebloom.

"Gee, Mister Naruto, I've never seen anyone get Pinkie Pie to be quiet like that."

Naruto winced and looked down at the small yellow filly.

"Don't mimic what I did. It's rude to put your hooves on another pony like that. I just couldn't get her to be quiet otherwise and we have to get you to school and I have to get to the market. Any other time I'd be happy to speak with her. From what Applejack has told me, she's a good mare, if a bit on the silly side."

"Yeah, I've heard Applejack say that about me too. She's usually honest so it doesn't bother me, but I wish you'd stick around and talk with me a bit. I understand you have to work though. Oh! Here's your food!"

Naruto froze when he heard her behind him and she leaned around his head from her position on his back. How had she gotten there without him noticing? Applebloom was laughing at him and took her cupcake in her hooves, biting down on the sugary concoction. Pinkie Pie giggled and hopped off of him.

"How did you get on my back without me noticing? How did you even get around the counter without me noticing for that matter?"

Pinkie giggled more and struck a karate pose.

"I'm a ninja. Fear my ninja-osity."

Her joke sent her into peals of laughter, eliciting a few chuckles from Naruto as well. He finished the donut as quickly as he could without seeming rude and excused both himself and Applebloom. Pinkie waved goodbye to them and welcomed her next set of customers. It was going to be a busy morning.

* * *

With Applebloom now at school and the stand set up, Naruto was ready to begin his morning. He wasn't sure how Applejack attracted customers but he figured he'd heard enough hawkers at the market in Canterlot to get by.

"Apples here! Get your fresh Apples here! Bucked and inspected by Sweet Apple Acres!"

He drew a crowd quickly enough, the sight of a new face among them making some curious enough to buy. Most were surprised to see him in such good health after a fight with Nightmare Moon. Most hadn't expected him to make it back alive. Apparently, rumors of his little coma had escalated to the point where his injuries had made it where he'd never wake up or walk again.

Ah, gossip. Never satisfied with staying small. It always has to get bigger and better. A secret about a pebble can become a boulder by the time its passed around.

By the time noontime came around, he was getting a little hungry again and was just about to hang up his closed sign and lock up the stand for a while when he heard a familiar laugh. He poked his head over the stand's counter to find Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike looking at him. When he cocked his eyebrow, Pinkie Pie fell over laughing hysterically. Spike covered his mouth to hold in his own giggles and Twilight rolled her eyes.

"They're laughing because your butt was in the air and your tail was swishing back and forth over the counter."

His cheeks heated up slightly but he quickly recomposed himself. He was nothing if not professional.

"Anything I can get you ladies? And Spike?"

Twilight put a hoof to her chin and hummed.

"Well, we were going to get some apples, but if you're about to go on break, why not come to lunch with us? There's a great little cafe just a couple of blocks over."

"Yeah! Please, Mister Naruto! I wanna hear all about your fight!"

Naruto sighed and closed the back of the stand up so no one could get the produce and hung the 'Gone for Lunch' sign out on the front. It couldn't hurt to be a little sociable. They seemed like nice ponies...and Fluttershy had been nice to talk to. Besides, they were Applejack's friends and if he was rude, she'd skin him alive.

"Sure. I insist it be my treat though. I don't like to let mares pay for my meals."

* * *

Spike was careful to observe the ponies as he rode along on Twilight's back. He might have been young, but he was a good listener. It was how he always seemed to know things that the others didn't. He'd been told by a soldier in the palace one time that the best way to learn was to 'Shut up and listen'. He'd taken that to heart.

Pinkie Pie was confusing to anyone. Not even her friends understood her from day to day, but she was a good pony and fun to be around. Twilight was a bit of a recluse, having spent most of her life studying and practicing magic, but she was coming into her own. Naruto, he decided, was a mystery. Even though the stallion was open and honest with his answers and gave them freely, Spike always felt he was holding something back.

He didn't like mysteries. Mysteries made his head hurt. He knew Twilight liked them, but only so far as she could crack a book open and find an answer. An unasnwerable question was her kryptonite. He'd seen quite a few drive her nearly bonkers. Not a pretty sight.

As he munched on the sandwich he'd ordered, he listened to the three adults speak, Naruto especially. Twilight asked him all about his time with Celestia and he was polite with his answers. Pinkie asked him random questions like, 'what would you do if you woke up and your mane was made of licorice?' and 'If woodchucks can chuck wood, why don't nuns use nunchuks?'

Naruto had looked her dead in her eye and said the answer was that nuns used rulers.

He'd never seen Pinkie Pie speechless before. It was pretty funny and scored major brownie points for the stallion. He felt he'd been silent enough though and asked the question that had been on his mind the whole time.

"Hey, Mister Naruto. What was it like fighting somepony like Nightmare Moon? I mean, it had to be scary since she was so powerful."

Both Pinkie and Twilight stared at Spike's sudden question and he shrank back a bit. Naruto, however, just gave him a small nod.

"I just had a conversation about this with Miss Fluttershy last night."

Twilight's head snapped back around.

"Wait...you had a conversation...with _Fluttershy_?"

A nod.

"Shy Fluttershy? Can't keep eye contact for longer than two seconds Fluttershy? That Fluttershy?"

Naruto nodded, a small frown on his face.

"Yes, your friend Fluttershy. She's a very sweet little thing. She asked me if I was afraid of dying."

The mood at their table turned somber and even Pinkie seemed subdued. She was the one to quietly ask what he had said.

"I told her that I wasn't afraid to die. I wasn't afraid of Nightmare Moon. I was afraid of what would happen to you all. Fighting Nightmare Moon was, to me, a thrill. I love a good fight. I feel alive during a fight. Mind you, she was going to kill me, but that's an accepted risk in a fight for a soldier."

Twilight looked down at the table before her, seemingly finding the checked pattern interesting.

"But Princess Celestia said that we're at peace now. We don't have a need for fighting or bloodshed. She said that such things were unnecessary in these times."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"And she's right. But think, Miss Twilight, what would have happened to you and your friends if I hadn't known how to fight? What if I hadn't been there? Who would have fought her long enough for you to work your magic?"

"I...I..."

"The sad truth, Miss Twilight, is that there needs to be someone capable of fighting to ensure peace. There needs to be individuals willing to do what is necessary. It doesn't make them bad ponies to be willing to fight. Soldiers are a necessary evil. Think about that. While you studied at the palace, didn't it ever strike you as odd that, in these times of peace, there were soldiers walking the palace?"

Naruto took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully.

"To tell you the truth, I mispoke. I don't enjoy fighting. I don't like to start fights. But I've found nothing that yet compares to the thrill of battle. Maybe one day I will. I've heard that love is like that. A constant thrill."

He chuckled at his own joke and tipped his glass back, draining it. He didn't notice Pinkie Pie's unusually quiet self, her bottom lip pooching out in deep thought. Suddenly she brightened and slapped a hoof on the tabletop.

"You're just like me!"

He calmly wiped himself off after Twilight had spit tea all over him. Spike asked what she meant and she smiled at Naruto.

"When I was a little filly, I lived on a rock farm. We never laughed, we never sang, we never danced. My parents were strict and a little boring. I still love them, but I never liked that life. Then one day I saw a rainbow explode over the horizon and I felt happy seeing it. I felt joy swell up inside me and I wanted to share that with my family. I threw my first party for them the next day. They all loved it and I've been trying my hardest to make everypony laugh and smile ever since."

She looked from one to the other before locking eyes with Naruto.

"I understand why you did what you did now. It was the right thing to do. You wanted everypony to be happy, even if you couldn't be. I want everyone to laugh and you want everyone to live."

Twilight could feel a letter to the Princess coming on. Who knew that Pinkie Pie was that deep?

"Thank you, Miss Pie. It's nice to be understood every once in a while, isn't it?"

Naruto stood gracefully and gave the mares a nod.

"I apologize, but I need to be getting back to the stand. It was a pleasure to talk to all three of you. I'll pay for the bill on my way out. I hope to see you all at the party. Have a pleasant day."

As he made his way across the restaurant, he figured he'd made a pretty good exit. It had been a good day so far.

"Hey Naruto! Catch!"

He turned around just in time to get hit in the face with something yellow. Something rubbery. He peeled it off his snout and could hear the restaurant laughing, his table included. He chuckled in spite of himself, dropped enough bits on the table to cover the bill, and walked out.

He didn't want to know where Pinkie had been keeping that rubber chicken...

* * *

He got back home without any incident that evening, all his apples gone and a bag of bits for Applejack to count out. Applebloom and her friends had ridden back in the cart, pretending they were pioneers and snapping the reigns while giggling. He'd humored them goodnaturedly.

Applejack met him at the door and grinned as she leaned against a porch post, watching as he back the cart into the shed and pulled the door closed.

"Have an interesting day?"

"It was a good day. If felt good to get out and do something. I wouldn't mind watching the stand every now and then. I figure that you can put me back out in the orchard or fields after the party."

"That ain't what I meant. Fluttershy came by while you were gone. Said y'all had a good talk last night."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. Applejack was always smug when she was teasing someone.

"She's a nice little mare. A bit shy, but otherwise nice. She tried to give me a talking to, but we came to an agreement, I suppose."

"Yup. She told me about that. She seemed right excited that you and her were friends. Also heard you met Pinkie Pie and Twilight today."

"...how are you hearing these things? I just got home."

"A little birdy told me. I'm glad you're getting on so well with my friends. It'll make your party go smoother. Now you just have to meet Rainbow Dash and Rarity to complete the set. Pinkie invited the whole town so I hope your leg ain't flabby by the end of the night from shaking hooves."

Naruto groaned and moved onto the porch beside her.

"Don't remind me. Nevertheless, it was a good day today and I enjoyed hanging out with your friends. They're good ponies. A bit eccentric, but nice."

Applejack grinned and followed him inside.

"Just wait til ya meet these last two. A speed demon and a prissy pants. Oh, you're gonna have fun."

**Aaaand done. Let me know what you think.**


	5. Dancing, Shagging on the Boulevard

**Aaand fifth installment here. A little more character development all around. I appreciate everyone's input on this story and I will just say this in regard to pairings...I have no clue at this point. Speculate all you want, I shall never tell! Unless I do! In which case, we'll know at the same time. By the way, you guys know that these are my song recommendations at the end of the author's note, right? It's what I was listening to when I finished the chapter. Been doing that for years and nobody said anything...anyhoo, enjoy! _Lookin' Out My Backdoor by Creedence Clearwater Revival_**

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Naruto sighed as he leaned his head on his right hoof. Business was slow at the stand today. It was Saturday, the day of Pinkie's party for him, and he still had yet to meet either Rainbow Dash or Rarity in person. Well, he'd kind of met Rainbow Dash. While this didn't bother him too terribly much, it did worry him just a tad. He didn't like to feel like he always had to look over his shoulder for them.

Two bits jingled onto his counter and he rolled his eyes up to greet the customer, only to have his vision assaulted by technicolor.

"Hey, I'll take an apple. You remember me, right?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times and nodded as he wiped an apple clean with a rag before presenting it to her.

"Sure I do. I always remember pretty mares who call me snobby."

Rainbow had the good decency to appear a bit sheepish, but it didn't last long.

"For your information I called you snooty. And in my defense, I've always heard first impressions are what you make of them."

Naruto snorted and started to close the stand up for his break.

"So what do you think my impression of you was, Miss Dash?"

She beamed and took a bite of the apple, chewed quickly and swallowed.

"That I'm awesome of course!"

He gave her a half-lidded stare and disappeared behind the counter again to search for his sign, his voice floating up above the wood.

"No. Pompousness is what my first impression was. Narcissism. An over-inflated ego."

Rainbow nodded along with his analysis, not really listening, until she heard the words 'over-inflated ego'. She scowled and finished the apple in one bite.

"Hey! I do not have an over-inflated ego. My ego is carefully monitored and maintained, thank you very much!"

"I'm quite sure it is. In any event, I'm going to lunch, Miss Dash."

"Oh, cool! Where we going?"

Naruto gave her a sidelong glance.

"We?"

Rainbow grinned and nodded.

"Well, yeah. You took Twilight and Pinkie to lunch a couple of days ago and I'd like to hang out a bit if you don't mind. Get to know you. Things friends would do...hint, hint...wink, wink..."

He gave her a slow blink and her grin slightly faltered before he sighed.

"Alright, you can come along. I suppose I'll at least be entertained during my meal."

Rainbow trotted up beside him and he led them to his desired destination.

* * *

"Mmmmmm...I haven't had pizza in forever! This is really good."

Naruto nodded and bit into his slice, chewing thoughtfully. They'd had some small talk while they waited for their meal to arrive. Mostly what her duties were with the Weather Management team and her friends around town. He'd stayed relatively quiet but she was more than happy to talk it seemed...and she seemed to notice that. He hadn't thought her to be so observant.

"So...I've yapped enough about me. You probably know all about the awesome Rainbow Dash from my friends anyway. Tell me about you."

Naruto stared at her for a moment before swallowing his food with one gulp.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well...I heard from the others about your viewpoint on being a soldier. That was pretty cool. Its a hardcore lifestyle and I'm really impressed that you did it. I mean, you were so young when you started and you personally know Princess Celestia! So, tell me about you."

"You and Applejack really are alike, you know? She wanted to know my story too. Alright, I'll give you a condensed version, since I have to get back to the stand soon."

Rainbow was almost leaning over the table at this point, eager to hear his story.

"I don't remember much of my early days. I woke up in the middle of a field and just knew that I had to go toward the big palace built into the mountainside. I remember everypony staring at me as I walked past, whispering and pointing at me. I've always had these red marks around my eyes and they're somewhat...strange, I suppose. Celestia just happened to be on one of her walks that day and I had no clue who she was."

Big magenta eyes blinked and waited as he took a sip of his drink.

"I walked right up to her and when one of her guards started yelling at me, I kicked him clear across the road. Mind you, I was just a little colt back then. It was more impressive than it sounds. But Celestia wasn't mad. In fact, she seemed delighted to see me and called me by my name even though I hadn't spoken a word."

"You didn't tell her your name?"

"No, she just seemed to know it. I didn't even know it was my name, until she said it. She's never explained that to me. I just figured it was some of her magic. She took me in and started to raise me, taught me to be a gentlecolt. She wanted me to pursue academics and I did. I soaked up everything she gave me, everything my tutors taught me. But I would see the soldiers training and that was what I really wanted."

He smiled at the memory and she took notice of how wistful it was.

"They all laughed at me when I asked to be allowed to train. I was still small then, not much older than Applebloom and her friends, and I was angry. But one stallion said that I could join them. He was the Captain of Celestia's Guard at that point and I would come to know him well as my commanding officer. He introduced me to the proper fighting arts, literature on the art of war...I ate it up."

Her tail was swishing back and forth at this point. She hadn't been this intrigued by something in a while.

"Celestia was upset with me at first, but she relented finally and let me join the ranks. I didn't see her much after that until I became her bodyguard. I still think she had something to do with that. Not that I minded. I loved seeing my old teacher again. But before that I went on a whirlwind tour of the garrisons of the kingdom. We fought bandits, fought marauding dragons, and we patrolled the borders."

"Wow, that sounds so cool!"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head.

"Soldier life is pretty routine, but complacency is deadly in itself. I fell asleep one night on patrol and let some raiders get by me. The military is about discipline and when the Captain heard what I had done, he came personally to discipline me. I was his recommendation, you see. He had vouched for me to be in there and by being lazy, I had tarnished his reputation. He beat my ass from one side of that fort to the other. Tough old bastard..."

A happy laugh rolled from his lips.

"Pretty much my only male role model. If Celestia can be considered my mother figure, he would have been my father figure. She taught me manners, he taught me how to be a gentlecolt. She taught me how to grow up, he taught me how to make it on my own. I had good teachers for life lessons."

His grin fell and he looked off to the side.

"My little meteoric rise through the ranks didn't come without trouble though. It didn't matter what skills I showed, there was jealousy there. Rumors began to swirl around about me and pretty soon I found myself facing the new Captain of the Guard. He just so happened to be the one I kicked all those years ago and he had an axe to grind. He and his little cronies only had circumspective evidence against me for what I'd supposedly done, but it was enough to get me a discharge."

"What? But that's..."

"Not fair? Life isn't fair, Miss Dash. It's ok though. I busted the wall out of his office when I left. I figured I was owed one hissy fit after all my service."

Rainbow laughed and shook her head.

"And then what happened?"

Naruto shrugged and looked at the clock on the wall. Better wrap it up.

"I said goodbye to the Princess and walked off into the sunset, like the heroes in the books. Pretty good story, no?"

Rainbow frowned at him and pooched out her bottom lip, her eyes narrowed.

"That's not all! There's more to it! I wanna know more!"

He dropped enough bits on the table to cover both their lunches and stood up.

"Life isn't fair, Miss Dash, and I have to get back to work. This was more pleasant than I thought it would be. We'll have to do this again. Thank you for your company."

She watched him canter out of the restaurant and pass by the window, disappearing around the corner. With a growl, she was on her hooves as well and out the door.

"I got all the time in the world, buddy. I'll just keep looking you up until I get the whole story. Guess I can catch a couple of winks til your party though."

* * *

Naruto sighed as he stepped outside his room and shut the door. Celestia's sun was almost at the horizon and the sky was a plethora of orange and red and yellow. His necklace thumped against his chest rythmically with each step. He couldn't bring himself to remove it, not after his fight with Nightmare Moon. It was like a good luck charm at this point, instead of a piece of jewelry.

He still had a little bit before he and the Apples had to leave for his party so he opted to do what he always did in his downtime, meditate. He didn't have to exercise much, farm work pretty much kept him toned. But he needed to clear his mind sometimes and meditation helped with that. Plus, he could feel something when he meditated, a small twist in the back of his mind, begging to be let loose.

He sat down in front of the porch steps and got into his position, his eyes closing as he did. His breathing stabilized and he entered the trance-like state of being awake and yet not awake. He could hear and feel everything, it seemed. Water dripped into a bucket at the pump, birds sang off in the orchard, grass rustled in the pasture...he could sense it all.

But what really intrigued him was the magic he could feel deep inside. He had no other word to describe it. It was similar to what Celestia and all unicorns used to perform their feats, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get more than a trickle to come through. He knew that his strength was already immense, even for Earth pony standards. Only Big Mac had ever come close to him and he knew that he was still leagues ahead of his friend.

Magic existed in all ponies is what he'd been taught. Unicorns could harness it. Pegasi used it to help them fly and move clouds around, without ever knowing it. Earth ponies used it to help with their strength. It was simply the way it was. Magic lent itself to a pony's natural strengths. It's why Applejack and Big Mac could work the farm so well, why Twilight was a powerful unicorn, why Rainbow was so fast, why Fluttershy worked so well with animals, why Pinkie Pie was so...

...yeah, just so...

But he could feel the magic barely run through him, as if it sat behind a dam, just waiting to be let out. Ever since the Princess had set him on the course he now walked, he had tried to unlock it, but he'd never succeeded.

"_Patience, little Naruto, patience. Magic is like water. It can be guided and contained, but if you try to unleash too much at once, it is like a raging river and it will sweep you away. Unicorns use their horns as a conduit to focus the magic. You do not have such a luxury. It's one of the reasons Earth ponies never bother to learn. It's too dangerous."_

He was different, he knew it. Whatever this well of magic was, he would harness it and use it to ensure that nothing ever happened to his friends again. In his mind's eye, he could see it. A giant wall with a tiny gold stream seeping out of a crack, feeding his body with its nourishment. He tried to will the wall to crumble, but something inside him made him falter. He could almost hear a wizened voice call out to him.

_'You're not ready.'_

The image began to fade and he slowly opened his eyes to find two big amber eyes peering into his. He blinked slowly and rolled his eyes upward.

"Applebloom, what have I told you about sitting on my head?"

"Not to do it?"

"Good girl. Now, why are you doing it?"

"Because you were sleeping and wouldn't wake up. I figured that if I did something that annoyed you, you'd wake up quicker."

Naruto sighed and reached up, grabbed the filly with his hooves, and sat her down on the ground in front of him.

"Well, it worked. Now please don't do that. It musses up my mane."

A snort came from behind him.

"Like you actually care about that rat's nest you call a mane. You're one of the least vain ponies I've ever met."

He turned and gave Applejack a lazy stare as she stepped down off the porch with Big Mac in tow.

"While that is true I'd still rather not look like some bum you yanked off the streets when we attend this party."

"But Naruto, you were some bum we yanked off the streets."

The smile that threatened to split Mac's face would have been maddening to anyone not well-versed in dealing with the Apples and their overzealous use of truthful sarcasm.

"I'll let that one slide because we have to be going now. Applebloom, would you like to ride on my back on the way there so your brother and sister can stop stabbing me in it?"

She cheered and clambered up, not getting the jabs between the three in the slightest.

* * *

Somewhere along their short walk into town, he'd picked up two more passengers in Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The three fillies chatted animatedly as the three adults plodded along. Naruto half-listened to them as they went.

"Man, Sweetie Belle, your sister went all out again on town hall. She didn't even reuse any of the decorations from the Summer Sun Celebration."

"I know, right? She's really excited to meet Mister Naruto. She said that she'd never met anypony as brave as him and wanted to show her thanks. The only reason she hasn't met him yet is that she's been working on a custom wedding dress for some mare from Hoofington."

"But it's not like she doesn't go out for lunch. Mister Naruto's been manning the stall for the past few days."

"Yeaaaah, but Rarity didn't want to meet him yet. She always had some excuse. Something about she was a mess, her mane wasn't in order, she had a pimple...you know how my sister is."

Naruto chuckled lightly to himself as they approached town hall again. Streamers and ballons lined the outside and it seemed as if the place was packed once more. He shifted from one foot to the other as the Crusaders leapt off his back and ran inside. He didn't like being the center of attention, but if he didn't go willingly Applejack would just make it an order.

He stepped inside through the doorway and pinned his ears back immediately. The sound was worse than the Summer Sun Celebration, since it was an informal gathering and there was much laughing and carrying on floating through the air. Applejack nudged him inside from behind and he begrudgingly went ahead.

He was instantly assaulted by ponies wanting to shake his hoof, introduce themselves, and generally make his head spin. He didn't remember half of them, even after they'd introduced themselves. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the ponies around him thinned out and everyone fell into their own little groups, chatting and conversing amongst themselves.

He made it to one of the tables with some food, eager to get something to take his mind off this party, when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder.

"Pardon me, sir, but I have yet to introduce myself to you."

He fought the urge to sigh and slowly turned. He was shocked to find himself face to face with none other than Rarity. She was clothed in a stunning dress that seemed to simply flow out behind her, a tiara with rubies adorning her head. She gave him a million dollar smile and batted her eyelashes.

"I do apologize for being late to the festivities, but I simply had to look the best for my savior. My name is Rarity and it is an utmost pleasure to speak with you finally."

Naruto wasn't normally one to be impressed by one putting on airs. He was often very informal, only falling back into his Canterlotian upbringing when he felt uncomfortable or needed to be authoritative. But Rarity was making a genuine effort to impress him by being a lady and he could appreciate that. Besides, it gave him an opportunity to see if he still had the ability to be a gentlecolt when needed. He took the hoof she offered and bowed his head enough to kiss it.

"Not at all, my Lady. I consider it a great honor to be in the presence of the Spirit of Generosity herself. The pleasure is all mine."

Rarity seemed speechless for a moment, her mouth hanging slightly open. She was used to being the one to speak and act in such a manner. A smile slowly crept onto her face.

"Such manners! It is so nice to find such a gentlecolt nowadays amongst all these ruffians. Would you kindly have supper with me, Mister Naruto?"

"I'd be delighted."

* * *

Rainbow Dash slurped at her drink with enthusiasm, enjoying the show. She wasn't one who cared much for the hoity-toity show that Rarity usually put on, but this was gold! She'd never seen anyone who could keep up with the prissy mare's formal attitude, but Naruto surprised her once again. Twilight sidled up beside her, levitating a plate with various cheeses on it, Spike sampling them without her knowledge.

"What are you doing, Dash? You're looking surprisingly...calm."

"Oh, I'm just watching our friend Rarity rope in Naruto. She's really laying it on thick tonight, Twi."

Twilight glanced over to find Naruto and Rarity seated at a table, the white unicorn laughing demurely at something he had said. She cocked her head in confusion.

"She's just acting like herself. I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Nah, it's not that she's acting like herself. It's that Naruto is going along with it. He wasn't so uptight around me or you or the other girls from what you said."

Twilight looked back again with a hum.

"Well, no, but then again he was raised in Canterlot and by the Princess no less. He's expected to act like a gentlecolt. And AJ's told me that he's a stickler for manners. Little Applebloom gets scolded all the time by him for not being 'ladylike'."

Rainbow snorted and went back to watching the duo, her head propped on a hoof.

"Yeah, yeah. I just think it's weird."

* * *

It had been quite a while since they had started talking and Naruto really enjoyed himself. He didn't particularly like speaking like a citizen of high society Canterlot or Hoofington but it was obviously a treat for Rarity to meet someone who could be genial and well-mannered. So, he indulged her a bit. He was a bit worried when she sighed happily and gave him a small smile.

"I've really enjoyed speaking with you this evening, Naruto. I know that you don't usually hold yourself to this standard of speech and I appreciate you letting me be a bit greedy tonight."

"Greedy?"

She nodded her head.

"But of course. I consider myself a lady of refined taste and good company, like fine wine, must be treasured. I don't often have the company of a gentlecolt so I wanted to indulge myself a bit. I'm not normally so formal myself, but it felt good to pretend for a while."

Naruto relaxed and gave her a grin.

"I'm glad you feel that way. I'd have hated to keep this charade up the whole time I knew you. You're a delight to be around yourself."

"Why thank you. I haven't enjoyed myself like this in a long time. Might I ask you a personal question?"

"Everyone else has. I don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to."

"What's it like, being as strong as you are?"

Naruto stared at her, puzzled.

"I'm...not quite sure I understand, Miss Rarity."

"Well, you are quite a striking physical specimen, there's no doubt about that. I daresay that if you came into town more often you'd be beating off mares with a stick. Besides being strong you're also quite handsome."

His rust-orange coat darkened just a shade and she had to restrain a giggle. He coughed into a hoof and smiled.

"While I don't consider my looks terrible by any means, I don't see myself as anything special, Miss Rarity."

She hummed and took a small bite out of a cookie.

"Well, I beg to differ. I am considered something of an expert on how good things look. You obviously get enough exercise on the farm. And having been a former soldier, I can tell that they shaped you quite well with a rigid regimen. Hmmm...actually, I know how you got so strong, but I need to see something else...Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."

Naruto watched as she stood gracefully and disappeared into the crowd of ponies. He shrugged and bit into his sandwich, relishing the taste. He'd met weirder ponies than Rarity in his life and he'd already been told she was a bit eccentric. Applejack wandered over and sat down across from him.

"You enjoying yourself, Naruto? Rarity's had you holed up over here for quite a while."

"I didn't know what to think of her at first, but she's really a nice pony to talk to. I can appreciate a mare with dignity and class. Don't look at me like that, AJ. You know exactly what I meant and what I didn't mean."

Applejack smirked, but kept her eyes narrowed.

"Sounds like someone's a little too impressed with my friend's attitude. I didn't know ya went for mares like her."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. Naruto was less amused and she waved a hoof to dispell his ire.

"I'm just playing with ya, Naruto. Rarity's okay in small doses, but me and her usually tie up and butt heads over stupid stuff. Where'd she disappear to? I was gonna say hello."

"I dunno. She just excused herself and ran off. I figured she went to powder her nose or something."

"And I did, amongst other things. Hello, Applejack. How are you doing this evening?"

Applejack spun and gave Rarity an almost too-wide grin.

"Howdy, Rare! I'm doing great. You been having fun with my worker?"

"Oh yes! He's an absolute delight. In fact, I just made a request to the DJ and she agreed to a certain song I'd like to dance to. Would you dance with me, Naruto?"

He suddenly felt very put out. Sure, he knew how to dance, but it had been a long time and he was very out of practice.

"I'd love to, Miss Rarity, but it's been along time since I last danced and I'm afraid I might embarass you."

"Oh, not at all! It's all in fun, my dear. Are you familiar with the tango?"

Naruto and Applejack both just stared at Rarity, who flashed a smile at Naruto and batted her eyelashes. He then took notice of the double bit draped across her back. It was made so that ponies could pull off the spinning moves of dancing without losing each other.

"Miss Rarity..."

"Please?"

"But..."

"Pleeease?"

"But I..."

"Oh, pleasepleasepleeeeease?"

He was amazed that she could contort herself like she was just to appear cute while she begged. Those big eyes and hopeful smile were a deadly combination. Applejack just shook her head and bumped Naruto with her shoulder.

"You might as well do it, Naruto. She'll go into a whining fit if you don't."

Rarity took affront to this and scoffed.

"I'll have you know, Applejack dear, that I am a lady and ladies don't whine. We complain."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Rare. Try to have fun out there, Naruto. I'm gonna get some cupcakes and watch."

Naruto snapped out of his little daze and glared after his boss' retreating form.

"This isn't a theater show!"

"It is now! Oooo, I'm getting popcorn instead! Try to make it look good!"

Naruto let out a little whimper and his ears flattened against his head. Rarity took notice and her smile dropped a bit.

"If you don't feel like dancing with me, I won't make you, darling."

He sighed and gave her a small smile.

"No, no. I don't mind at all. I just...I haven't danced in a long time and I don't want to accidentally step on you or anything. And I sometimes forget my own strength and I definitely don't want to hurt you..."

"Nonsense! Now come. I'm a big mare and I can take care of myself."

* * *

Applejack sat down beside her friends and bit into the bag of popcorn, muching away happily. Naruto and Rarity had made their way onto the dance floor and everyone else had cleared out. Pinkie had wanted to dance the tango too, but Twilight had informed her that 'it takes two to tango' and she didn't have a partner. Neither could figure out why Rainbow Dash was falling over herself laughing at that.

Fluttershy settled down next to Applejack, her eyes wide, her voice just a shade over a whisper.

"Oh, Rarity looks lovely tonight, doesn't she?"

Applejack nodded and bit into her popcorn again.

"I...I wonder if she's thought about the size difference between her and Naruto though. I mean, not that he's fat or anything, but...but he is a bit bigger than her. If he forgets she's smaller, he might hurt her."

"Nah, Rarity's a big girl. She can take care of herself. I'm just glad its her and not me. I can't dance to save my life, unless it's a two-step. How about you Fluttershy?"

"Oh, no no no. I...I don't dance at all! I just imagine everyone looking at me and I freeze up. That's why I envy Rarity. She's so regal and she loves the attention. I wish sometimes I was that bold, but I could never do that."

Spike snuck a handful of popcorn when Applejack wasn't looking and swallowed it quickly.

"Yeah, Rarity is really beautiful and graceful. I think you're right, Fluttershy. I hope she hasn't bitten off more than she can chew with Naruto."

Mac sat behind them all, his large frame allowing him to easily see over the mares' heads. He smirked and rolled his ever-present wheat stalk.

"Eyup."

* * *

Naruto did every breathing excercise he'd ever been taught as he led Rarity out to the center of the dance floor, the bits in their mouths connected by a piece of rope. He hadn't done this kind of dance in years and he'd have to be careful not to whip her around too hard, lest the rope break and send her careening into a wall.

The music started and the two stood side by side, their eyes closed, letting the sound just wash over them. Naruto took one last breath as the music began to quicken and opened his eyes. He and Rarity turned away from each other with one hoof out in opposite directions, the rope between them tightening. With a quick tug of his head, he spun her toward him and the dance began.

* * *

Rarity couldn't remember the last time she felt this elated about dancing. She'd never had so much fun! He was good, very good. He sent her twirling this way and that, always mindful of where the rope was. She had gasped the first time they came together and the rope hung limp between them. Fluttershy was right, he was enormous! Why, the top of her head barely touched his chin, but that helped when he sent her spinning and held the rope above her with a toss of his head.

The music reached its crescendo and she could vaguely make out the sound of the ponies gathered around them clapping and stamping their hooves to the beat. He kept her moving, never let her rest, and he himself was always in motion. She wondered if this was what it was like for him when he was fighting. He'd always been in motion against Nightmare Moon.

A little more forceful than normal jerk brought her back from her thoughts and she clamped down on the bit harder. He truly didn't know his own strength at times. A couple of times her hooves had actually left the ground when he jerked her back towards him. But even though she was now covered in a thin film of sweat and would likely run home to clean herself, she was excited.

Her heart skipped a beat when he pulled her in close again and whispered, 'Hold on tight' through gritted teeth. She chose to take his advice and, as the song came to a close, he spun in place and lashed the rope around his right leg, pulling her in as well. Her eyes flew wide open when she felt herself lifted into the air and tossed, the bit coming loose from her mouth as it widened in shock. She was balanced on his hoof in the air, spinning like a top, laughing.

It was electrifying.

With a small toss, she was airborn again and came down into his waiting hooves. He pirhouetted and sat her down on the ground again in a flurry of her skirt, the two of them bowing to each other as the music stopped. Time seemed to stop before everyone in the building yelled wildly and whistled, showing their appreciation for the show. The two dancers caught their breath and bowed to the crowd before making their way off the dance floor.

* * *

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she saw. She'd never seen any stallion with that kind of stature be that graceful. Her hooves clapped unknowingly to her, her mind racing. Her big magenta eyes had been focused on the floor the entire time, watching the two move with an almost ethereal grace, only the slightest of missteps slipping them up.

He was an athlete, of that she had no doubt now, and she was going to get her pound of flesh. She wanted to race, to hoof-wrassle, to find out who was the best. Her competitive spirit had awoken and she was now rubbing her hooves together in anticipation.

Twilight had heard from Celestia that Naruto was capable of many things, that when he put effort into something, there wasn't much he couldn't accomplish. He'd apparently been just as studious as her in his formative years, but he'd opted to go the way of the Earth pony and focus on his natural advantage, strength.

Celestia had told her to be mindful that first impressions were not always true and that ponies always hid parts of themselves away. Naruto, it seemed, had so many layers she didn't know if she'd ever uncover them all.

Pinkie bounced up and down on the tips of her hooves excitedly. Naruto could really dance. She hoped that he might show her some moves. Oooh, maybe he knew how to Conga! Then everypony could join in!

Applejack sat dumbfounded, her jaw slack. She'd known that Rarity was graceful and that Naruto had to have done some dancing in Canterlot, or at least had watched enough to get by. But to be so good at it? And with Rarity of all ponies?

Fluttershy's cheeks were rosy from watching the intimate dance. She couldn't imagine bumping bodies and getting that close to a stallion, even if it was just a friendly dance. She'd freeze up and fall over. But...it was nice to see the two of them having a good time...they looked so graceful and happy...

Mac just smirked at his sister and her friends and stepped back into the crowd, chuckling to himself. Naruto had just created his own set of problems in each mare, even if he didn't know it. He'd be content to sit back and watch the situation play itself out, get his seven chuckles in.

* * *

"That...was...amazing! You, my dear, are quite the dancer. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. We simply must do it again sometime!"

After thunderous applause from everyone watching, Naruto and Rarity had made it back to their table and sat down, both a bit tired and sweaty from the dance. Rainbow flew to their table in an instant, a huge grin adorning her blue face.

"That was AWESOME! So cool! You two were real good together. I've never seen anyone dance like that."

"Yep yep! Can you show me those moves sometime, Naruto? I'd like to learn to dance like that."

"Princess Celestia never said you were a good dancer. She just mentioned you being a jack of all trades."

"Purty fancy dancing, Naruto. But can you two-step? I could always use a good partner at a hootenanny who knows not to step on mah hooves!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, the sweat in his mane sticing to his hoof. Rarity huffed and blew some of her purple locks out of her eyes that had come undone during their tango.

"He is quite a find. A better dance partner I've never had. Hmmm..."

Rarity replayed the dance in her mind as the others babbled to Naruto about his moves, reminiscing and describing his own dance to him in detail. She remembered the moves well. Her face contorted and her brow furrowed in a thoughtful stare. Graceful, but forceful. Strong, but gentle. Passionate, but passive. Her eyes flew wide and she declared in a lilting, melodic voice.

"Ideaaaaaa!"

And she was gone like a shot, out the door. Naruto watched her go with a raised eyebrow and Applejack just shook her head.

"That's Rarity for ya. Here one minute and gone the next. She probably just got some inspiration and went home to draw out her next project. Now, about that two-step..."

* * *

Naruto collapsed onto his bed back at the farm. Luckily, Applejack had declared they could all take off the next day, so he could sleep in a bit. He was exhausted, but it was a good exhausted. He knew that his little dance would get him in trouble, but he hadn't expected to be pulled on the dance floor so often. Applejack made him two-step with her, Rainbow Dash wanted to freestyle, which he was horrible at, lacking the pegasus' balance. Twilight wanted to slow dance, since she was somewhat clumsy and didn't want to make a fool of herself.

Pinkie Pie had demanded that he do the Hokey Pokey with her. He felt like an idiot, but it was a party, and he didn't feel so bad when the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike joined in. He still felt like an idiot though, just less of one. He'd have to thank Applebloom and her friends for helping him there. Spike as well.

He'd offered to dance with Fluttershy, but the shy little mare had refused, saying she didn't want to be a bother. When he couldn't get her to dance, he'd insisted on doing something for her and she relented to him coming by to help with the animals one day. That was good enough for him. He didn't want her to feel left out.

And he wondered why Mac had called him a sucker the rest of the night...

It wasn't so bad though. He had fun, more fun than he'd had in a long time and they were all good ponies. Good friends to have. His eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Spike floated around the library, putting up books as he went. He was doing his best to mimic Naruto from the party, the way he'd seemed to glide along the floor. It seemed to really impress Rarity and if there's one thing that Spike really wanted, it was to impress his crush. Twilight reclined on a cushion in the middle of the floor, her nose buried in a book, but she was secretely watching her assisstant dance around their home.

She shut the book and leaned up a bit, watching as he put up book after book.

"Spike, what are you up to? You've been in a good mood all morning."

He turned to her and grinned, a book in hand.

"I just feel good. Don't you feel like dancing after watching Naruto and Rarity last night? I want to learn to dance too!"

She smirked and put the book away with her magic.

"Calm down, Casanova. I know why you want to learn to dance. It's not that easy though. It takes years to get as good they were."

"But Naruto said that he rarely danced. And Rarity said that she never danced that well."

"I read up on that a bit this morning. Some ponies are just natural dancers. Naruto is big so he has to lead and he does it well. Rarity always had to try to lead her partners, when she's meant to follow. They just meshed well, that's all. They still made a few slip ups that were really noticable, but they had fun and that's what counts."

Spike turned back to the bookshelves and began to put the books away with much less enthusiasm. Twilight sighed and then perked up.

"Oh, did you remember to send the letter to Princess Celestia? The one from last night about 'not judging a book by its cover'?"

"Yeah, I sent it before I fell asleep. I'm not that forgetful, Twilight. I do do things right on occassion."

"What are you grumpy for now?"

Spike sighed and kept putting up the books.

"Nothing."

She was about to ask again when the doorbell jingled and someone stepped inside. Strange, she thought, the library was open all the time, but ponies didn't normally come in on Sunday. It was the day she and Spike used to catch up on things. She brightened when she recognized the stallion.

"Oh, Naruto! So good to see you again so soon. Wasn't the party last night just wonderful? I really appreciate you dancing with me. I know it wasn't the best dance of your night, but I hope you had fun."

Naruto smiled at her and closed the door behind him.

"I did enjoy it. It was a nice change of pace after the Hokey Pokey. And I'd like to thank you for jumping in with me on that one, Spike. I kind of felt stupid doing it alone with just Pinkie Pie. I really appreciate that."

Spike brightened considerably upon hearing that he was a help.

"No problem, Naruto! I'm always glad to help a pony in need...and you kind of looked lost out there with Pinkie. Me and the girls felt kind of sorry for you, so we figured we'd join in. Besides, the Hokey Pokey is the only dance I know."

Naruto laughed and patted the little dragon on the head gently, with great annoyance on Spike's part. He slapped his headfins back into place and crossed his arms.

"Don't treat me like a kid! I'm not that little."

Naruto chuckled and stood over him.

"Well, you are that little to me. But don't let it get to you, Spike. I used to be a tiny thing back when I was younger and look at me now. In a few years, you'll be bigger than me. And when you're ready, I'll teach you a few things."

Spike looked over his shoulder at the towering stallion.

"Like how to fight?"

"Sure, if that's what you want and Twilight's okay with it. I'll teach you how to _defend_ yourself. You don't want to go looking for a fight. On that note, Spike, I need a favor from you."

Twilight cocked her head to the side. A favor from Spike? What could he do that she couldn't possibly do to help him?

"I need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia for me."

Oh. That. Her ears drooped a bit before Naruto called out to her.

"I'd also like to discuss a couple of things with you, Miss Sparkle, after we're done. You ready, Spike?"

Spike stood with parchment and quill in hand.

"Ready!"

Naruto cleared his throat, as Spike scratched the letter onto the parchment.

_Princess Celestia,_

_You've no doubt noticed by now that I have dismissed the guards from their duty at Sweet Apple Acres and they should be back in Canterlot by now. I am healed and will resume my farm duties for the time being. If all is well, I would like to perform the initial inspection in one month's time. I expect this to take no less than three days and no longer than a week to perform in its entirety. _

_I request that when I do come that you send back the guards who I just recently dismissed, as they are already familiar with the work and know what is expected of them. I will personally inspect those guards and review their performance._

_As another matter, while the help is appreciated on the farm, I am the Apples' only worker and with me gone, so goes a considerable amount of time, effort, and chores on their part. I request a small stipend be sent to them for my time gone. It would greatly help them out, especially in times of need._

_I await your orders and look forward to seeing and serving you once more._

_Your faithful servant,_

_Naruto_

Spike scrawled the last bit on the paper and rolled it up, sealed the edge with wax, and breathed his magical fire on it, the ashes whisking away on the wind to the Princess. Naruto thanked him and trotted over to talk with Twilight.

"Now, Miss Sparkle, could you please tell me all about how Canterlot is nowadays, and who exactly are the Captains of the Guard? I'd rather not be in the dark when I go there."

She grinned and closed her eyes.

"I'll tell you if you call me Twilight and not 'Miss Sparkle'."

A fair bargain...

* * *

It wasn't too long into their conversation that he heard Spike belch and spit up a scroll. The little dragon unrolled it and read aloud where Naruto could hear.

_My dearest pupil,_

_All details will be handled with utmost care. One month is more than enough time to get everything ready. Your quarters are just as you left them and I've had them cleaned, so lodging is not a concern. The guards you requested will be dispatched with the carriage I send to retrieve you._

_I shall send the stipend you requested for Sweet Apple Acres forthwith and I expect the sum to be more than fair for your services rendered. The Apples are a delightful family and I hope that you will bring them with you some time so I can meet them all. _

_I can't wait to see you again, Naruto. It really has been too long and my sister and I will make time to spend with you. Our royal duties will not hinder this if we can help it. You have done my sister and I a kindness and you continue to serve your kingdom well._

_I await your return with bated breath._

_Princess Celestia_

_p.s. Next time you send a letter, for the love of the Heavens, don't be so formal. I taught you to have manners, not be a stick in the mud! Loosen up!_

Naruto sighed and smiled as Spike finished reading, a silly grin on his face.

"Boy, she gets onto you just as bad as she does Twilight!"

**Aaaand done! Trying to write how ponies would dance a tango was a challenge. I had to watch a couple videos and brainstorm. Hope you liked it. I'll get on that next chapter right away.**


	6. Back in the Saddle Again

**Wow...superlong chapter this time. I wanted to do the Canterlot trip all in one chapter so it took a little longer to write than normal. I'd forgotten how hard it was to imagine new scenarios. More character development and a bit more of Naruto's Equestrian backstory. Hope you guys like it. _Live and Let Die by Guns N Roses._**

**CHAPTER SIX**

Naruto sat on the porch of Sweet Apple Acres, looking out over the orchard. In the morning, the chariot would bring the soldiers to work at the farm and take him to Canterlot. It was late and everyone else was in bed...and he should be too. They'd be at the farm early and he'd be gone before the sun was high in the sky.

The door creaked and he turned to find all three Cutie Mark Crusaders behind him, rubbing their eyes. It seemed that something had interrupted their little sleepover.

"What are you girls doing up? It's late."

They all jumped a bit and Applebloom's sight finally adjusted to the dim light of Luna's moon.

"Mister Naruto?"

"Yup. What are you three doing up?"

Sweetie Belle flopped down beside him, her vision still bleary, and yawned.

"Scootaloo thought she heard something outside and we decided to be Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Hunters. But I guess it was just you."

He chuckled when the other two girls flopped beside him as well and pulled his tail over them, using it as a blanket.

"Why don't you three go back inside? It's a bit chilly out here and I can tell you're all sleepy."

Applebloom gave a cute little grunt and snuggled closer to him.

"But tomorrow you're going away...we wanted to spend more time with ya..."

He laughed again and gently patted her head.

"I'm only going to be gone for a week tops, little one. I'm not leaving forever."

Applebloom yawned again as he picked each of them up and draped them across his back, before nudging the door open with his nose. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were already snoring lightly. She nuzzled into his mane, sleep pulling at her eyelids.

"You promise?"

"Of course I do. I promise."

He didn't know if she heard him. She was already asleep.

* * *

The next morning was a blur. The Cutie Mark Crusaders buzzed around him, eager to see him off. Applejack was preparing for the soldiers and chatting his ear off. Mac sat on the porch with his wheat stalk, staring out into the orchard. Granny sat in her rocker and snored, catching a morning nap.

Naruto sat in the middle of the whirlwind, watching the skies for his ride to Canterlot.

"Hey, Mister Naruto?"

He looked down at Sweetie Belle, whose big green eyes looked up at him curiously.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"What was it like, living in Canterlot? Rarity says that it's a 'glah-more-us' place."

He chuckled as she pantomimed her sister's over-the-top antics. The other two had sidled up at this point, eager to here a story.

"Well, the ponies in Canterlot are a mixed bag, so to speak. Most of them are very well off and quite a bit of them are snobby and stand-offish. There are good ponies in Canterlot though. Very decent folks. But, I've met more snobs than I have decent ones."

He sighed and rubbed the top of Sweetie's hair, mussing it, and sending her into a pout.

"It's a great place to shop though, and I imagine that, from what I've heard of your sister, she would love the market. I didn't get much downtime to go and shop, what with being Celestia's bodyguard. That's pretty much a twenty-four hour, seven day a week deal. When I went out for the day, it was mostly because the Princess said I was 'too much underhoof' and needed to 'get out of her hair'."

He made a face that sent the fillies giggling and then smiled.

"It wasn't a bad place to grow up. I got a very good education from the Princess and whatever tutors she lined up for me. And I had very good teachers when it came to fighting. But you three know all that. You've heard that story."

They nodded eagerly.

"Canterlot is a strange place to grow up. The adults there act like over-sized children a good bit of the time. Parties are generally just opportunities to kiss the host's butt. It's sad, but true. Every pony is looking to crawl to the top of the pile, just so they can say that they're at the top."

Applebloom scoffed.

"Sounds kind of dumb."

"Yes, it really is. That's why you should be happy to grow up in Ponyville. But there's more than just the garden parties that these ponies attend to make themselves look better. There's museums in Canterlot, art exhibits, music festivals! There are plays in the park, ponies performing for bits, and weddings."

Sweetie Belle sighed happily.

"Sounds romantic..."

Scootaloo gagged. Applebloom giggled. Naruto smirked.

"It's all that and more. It's a living, breathing, ugly, beautiful city. I'll take you three there someday and show you. But until then, you need to help hold down the fort in Ponyville, because there's my ride."

The three fillies looked skyward and upon seeing the chariot let out a collective 'awww'. Naruto smiled and stood on all four hooves.

"Now, now, don't be like that. I'll only be gone a week at most. Now, Applebloom, I want you to keep Big Mac and Applejack in line...especially Big Mac..."

"Ah resent that..."

"Naruto! Naruto!"

Everyone turned to find Twilight galloping toward them at full speed, Spike riding on her back and holding on for dear life. She skidded to a stop in front of the group and took a moment to catch her breath. Behind her the chariot landed gracefully and the four soldiers assigned to replace him piled out and stood in a line, awaiting orders. Four seemed excessive. Celestia was overcompensating.

Naruto hummed to himself and scratched his head. There was a lot happening in such a short amount of time. Twilight took one last gasp and shook the dust off herself. Spike had already deposited himself onto the ground and waddled in front of Naruto.

"Um, hi Naruto. I know this is last minute and everything, but I have to go to the castle on official business and I was wondering if I could hitch a ride with you? We saw the royal chariot fly over town headed here and Twilight ran as fast as she could to catch it."

Naruto grinned at the little dragon and patted him on the head, causing his fins to flatten out. If there was one thing that could make him smile it was messing with kids and Spike was a vain tiny dragon.

"Sure thing, little guy. Some company on the way there wouldn't be unwelcome. And I'd at least know someone in the palace besides the Princesses. I don't know if any of the old staff is there or not."

Spike growled and fluffed his fins back out to their original state.

"One day, dude. One day I'll be bigger than you and then I'm gonna mess up your mane..."

"But today isn't that day, is it? Now, let's get a move on. I'll take care of him, Twilight."

Twilight smiled and waved as Spike boarded the chariot, Naruto right behind him. The pegasi charioteers flapped their wings and the rig slowly began to rise.

"Bye Twilight! See you in a couple of days!"

"Bye Mister Naruto! Try to have fun!"

Naruto and Spike waved one last time before they were out of sight and everyone put their hooves down. Twilight grew nervous when Applejack turned to the soldiers with a large smirk.

"Alright, boys. Let's get y'all's hooves dirty."

"Eyup."

Applejack and Macintosh ambled off with their new crew, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran off to cause mayhem, and Twilight stood in front of the house for a moment, not knowing what to do. She shrugged and trotted back toward town.

When in doubt, read books...

* * *

"I can't believe you, dude. You're the biggest, baddest pony I've ever met and you get airsick. You know what a disappointment that is?"

The two pegasi charioteers found it hard to keep the smiles off their faces as Spike lambasted Naruto, but did an admirable job nonetheless. Naruto took a deep breath and glared at the little dragon. He wished that he could bop the little brat on the head, but one: that would probably kill him, and two: they were standing in the palace courtyard. Witnesses...

"It only happens in this particular chariot. It's like Princess Celestia hexed me or something. I've never been sick in my life."

"Blaming me for motion sickness, Naruto? How droll. You know there's no such thing as hexes..."

Naruto froze and slowly turned his head to find both of the princesses standing behind him, Celestia smirking and Luna with a bemused smile. His eyes darted from one to the other, watching their flowing manes and tails. Both he and Spike bowed before he spoke.

"Princess Celestia. My, how lovely you look today."

"Buttering me up won't do you any good, Naruto. I'm deeply hurt that you think I would hex you. Hello, Spike. Twilight sent you to collect some things for her, yes?"

"Yes, Milady. I'll just be here for today and tomorrow. If I could, I'd like to see what Naruto does for an inspection though."

Celestia laughed and nodded her consent.

"So well mannered. Why can't you learn from his example, Naruto? You'd be surprised how far you can go when you don't insult royalty."

Naruto glowered and pooched out his bottom lip, the sight looking so hilarious and out-of-place on an adult pony that neither the princesses nor Spike could keep from laughing at him. Celestia finally halted her mirth and wiped a tear gently from her eye.

"Oh, I haven't laughed so hard in ages. Thank you for being such a good sport, Naruto. I know that you never liked riding in the chariot, but knowing that it's one of the few things that makes you uncomfortable is just too funny."

Naruto stood straighter and thumped his hoof to his chest in a salute.

"I am at your service, Princess. Whether it be as your Royal Inspector or as a lowly jester."

Celestia swatted him on the shoulder with her tail.

"Stop that. I told you to stop being so uptight. Now, if you'll come along we can have lunch and discuss what you'll be doing. Spike, you're welcome to come as well."

Never one to pass up free food, Spike clambered up onto Naruto's back and settled in. Naruto grunted and fell in lockstep with the Princesses. Spike couldn't help one last observation.

"No wonder the Cutie Mark Crusaders love getting rides from you and Big Mac. I can almost see eye level with Princess Celestia!"

Naruto just sighed and let his ears droop as they walked into the palace. Had he fallen so far that no one respected him anymore?

* * *

"So, that's your plan? You're just gonna observe them as a regular civilian first and then inspect their barracks?"

Naruto nodded and bit into his salad, chewing thoughtfully. Spike held a half-eaten sapphire in his claws, an annoyed look on his face. The princesses were content to watch, amused at the pony and dragon's antics.

"Dude, that's so boring! Do something exciting! How about a military parade? At least those are fun for everybody."

Naruto eyed Spike and swallowed the bit of carrot he'd been chewing on.

"It's not always about fun, Spike. This is serious business and I want to do this as quickly and cleanly as I can."

Spike bit into his sapphire and grunted, leaning his head on his hand. Luna chuckled and cleared her throat.

"I understand that the Captain of my Guard and you have...history."

And there was the elephant in the room. Naruto sighed and nodded his head once in acquiescence.

"Yes, Princess Luna. Captain Fellwing and I...we do not get along. We never did before he made the rank of Captain and once he became my commanding officer it only escalated from there. I'm sure Princess Celestia has told you the whole story."

"Actually, Captain Fellwing himself told me when I asked him. I didn't press the issue, since it seems that Celestia settled the matter, but he has been nothing but professional and dutiful since my return. I can find no fault in his behavior."

"Whatever else he may be, Fellwing is loyal to the crown of Equestria and therefore loyal to you, Princess. He would give up his life for yours. I know that to be a fact. His issue lies with me personally...well, that and his bias against Earth ponies in general."

"Bias?"

"He does not believe that Earth ponies have a place in the Guard, sister. That puts him and Captain Brassheart of the Town Guard at odds quite often."

Luna nodded her head thoughtfully.

"I had noticed that there seemed to be no Earth ponies in the ranks of the Lunar Guard. Curious."

The mood at the table became somber for a moment, the only sound that of Spike munching on his jewel. Even the little dragon knew better than to interrupt such conversations. Naruto finally sighed and looked up from his salad.

"I don't believe it's a situation that needs to be broached at this time, Princess. Perhaps later on, but right now I just want to make sure that everything is running smoothly."

Naruto rose from the table and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"I appreciated lunch, Your Highnesses, but I'd like to take a walk through Canterlot and see how the Town Guard is doing. I'll likely meet Brassheart later today. Twilight gave me a good description of him and Shining Armor."

Celestia rose as well, Luna and Spike following.

"Very well, Naruto. Please do meet us for dinner though. I'd like to hear your thoughts on what you see. Come, Spike. I'll show you where to collect the things Twilight wanted."

* * *

Naruto traipsed through the city listlessly, trying to look as nondescript as possible. It was quite hard, what with his size and coat coloring, but he was managing. Several guards paused and looked his way, but none approached him. He had spotted a couple of places that needed guards posted, but other than thtat it was pretty airtight.

The wall surrounding the city's lowest levels needed a beef up of security, but he supposed that perhaps the ranks were stretched a bit thin. The Town Guard was the least glamorous of the three and they were always on call. They dealt with the locals and handled all the day-to-day business of keeping Canterlot safe. If there was a fight, or thievery, or Celestia forbid, a murder, the Town Guard were called to keep the peace.

Naruto stopped in the middle of the market and sat down on a bench to observe. He watched some foals run and play with a ball, listened to a local mare haggle over the price of a bunch of radishes, enjoyed the sun on his coat. It was relaxing. He closed his eyes and leaned back a bit, letting his head thump against the high back of the bench.

A pony settled in beside him, the wood of the bench creaking a bit under the weight of two ponies. Naruto didn't bother to open his eyes. He figured it was just an elderly pony who had stopped to rest.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Naruto nearly sighed. He'd been hoping for silence, but it was not to be. Not wanting to seem rude, but not wanting to give anything away, he settled for the Macintosh approach. A friendly grin and nod but he didn't open his eyes.

"Eyup."

The voice went quiet for a moment and he thought it had taken the hint.

"Sun's beaming down, a breeze in the air, children playing and laughing...it's a good day for an inspection, isn't it, Lieutenant?"

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he leaned forward, his head turned to observe his benchmate. His eyes roamed over the stallion. Dark gray armor with gold etchings, a blue plumed helmet, brown coat, gold eyes, average size, Captain's insignia emblazoned on the left shoulder of the armor...

"Captain Brassheart, I presume?"

The stallion nodded his head and stood from the bench, thumping his right leg against his chest plate, a metallic 'ting' ringing throughout the air.

"Correct. Captain Brassheart of the Town Guard at your service, sir. It's an honor to meet a legend such as yourself."

Naruto stood as well and saluted back, wincing a bit at having forgotten that he wasn't wearing armor and he'd thumped his chest a little to hard.

"Lieutenant Naruto, formerly of the Celestial Guard. While I'm happy that you recognized me, Captain, I must say that my legend stopped growing years ago. You're the first pony to recognize me."

"Well, that's because I was a private when you were discharged, sir. I was with you a couple of times on guard detail for the Princess. But your legend is still intact and quite a few of your stories are still told. You always were a larger than life figure. You've loosened up quite a bit since being discharged too. You used to be all business."

Naruto sighed and shrugged.

"If you listen to Princess Celestia I haven't loosened up enough. I apologize for not recognizing you, Captain. I certainly shall now though. Rising to the rank of Captain is not an easy feat, especially for us Earth ponies. I congratulate you."

"Well, thank you. And your legend hasn't diminished as much as you think, Lieutenant. You'll find that my Guard especially thinks very highly of you."

Naruto chuckled and leaned back on the bench again.

"You're not trying to flatter me into a good report are you, Brassheart?"

"Not at all, sir. Facts are simply what they are...facts. Come, I'll show you to my barracks. You can tell me what you've discovered on the way."

* * *

"...and the Western wall needs a few more guards posted. It's always been a weak spot in my opinion and needs more attention paid to it."

"Of course. The problem is arranging a detachment and managing the time. Recruitment has run a little dry lately and our ranks aren't as full as they used to be. I prefer not to have to draft, but I haven't been able to send out any recruiters to the other towns and cities of the kingdom."

Naruto nodded as they rounded another corner on their way to the barracks.

"Have you asked either of the other Guard for a loan of support? Or help recruiting?"

Brassheart snorted and lifted his nose just a tad.

"Fellwing wouldn't deign to help me unless it was a direct order from the Princesses and Shining Armor is Captain of the Celestial Guard. He doesn't have problems recruiting."

"Pride goeth before the fall, Captain. Asking never hurt anything."

Brassheart sighed and nodded.

"I just need a few more good stallions to fill in where needed. I try to keep my soldiers in a good rotation, but I have to keep them on longer watch sometimes. Ponies get sick or hurt all the time and my boys are no exception. Some of them have to stay on duty for longer than intended and that wears them down."

He turned to look at Naruto as they stopped in front of the barracks.

"I'd like to recruit, but I don't have the time or resources. And I _need_ to recruit. The ponies here in Canterlot simply don't want to be in the Guard. Any Guard. They're all above it."

"Well...you have a soldier in Ponyville right now, don't you?"

Brassheart quirked his head, causing his plume to dangle to the side.

"Yes, one of them is in the detail that is working on your farm right now. Why?"

"I could see if AJ would let him go into town and recruit for a day. If it wouldn't interfere with his duties there of course."

Brassheart smiled and nodded his head gratefully.

"I would appreciate it greatly and consider it a personal favor, Lieutenant. Please ask your employer when you return home if she would allow that. I'll see if I can arrange to pay for the time my soldier would be away."

"Let me speak with her before you start making plans, Captain. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Brassheart nodded and opened the door to the barracks. Naruto could hear chatter inside, the sound of whetrock on steel, armor clanking, grunts from the training room. It was almost nostalgic. He took a deep breath and stepped inside, listening as the door shut behind them.

"Welcome to the Town Guard barracks, Lieutenant Naruto. Excuse me for a moment while I make the troops presentable."

Naruto nodded and waited for the inevitable explosion of activity and noise. He didn't have to wait long.

"ALRIGHT, YOU MAGGOTS! FALL IN! INSPECTION DUE! OFFICER ON DECK!"

Naruto chuckled to himself, remembering those times. The sudden scramble, the pounding heart, the uncertainty, the fear that you were going to be the one to catch it when the shit hit the fan...Sweet Celestia, he missed it. For the moment anyway.

"Lieutenant Naruto, these ladies are ready for inspection!"

Naruto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting his face fall into a mask of blankness. He had never done this before, but figured he'd been through them enough during his time in the Celestial Guard to fumble his way through. Besides, he couldn't pass up an opportunity to mess with ponies' heads. He stepped around the corner of the doorway and stopped just inside, his large frame nearly filling the space behind him.

He slowly walked the aisle between the beds, eyeing each of the stallions in turn. They did their best to look straight ahead, not lock eyes with him because that was a huge no-no. He laughed inside his head. Time to turn up the heat and mess with them a bit. He picked the biggest one in the room and stopped in front of him.

He did not comment on the slight sheen of sweat that formed on the yellow Earth pony's face.

"What's your name, maggot?"

Just as the pony opened his mouth, Naruto turned full force to face him.

"YOUR NAME IS GLUE! WHAT'S YOUR RANK?"

The Earth pony went rigid, but maintained his composure. Naruto was pleased. That was a good sign that this one was trained well.

"Sir! Private First Class, sir!"

"First Class? Are we flying? Are we on tracks? I don't see no blimps or trains around here!"

"Sir! It is my designated rank, sir!"

"I know what it is, soldier! Do you not know what sarcasm is? Or a turn of phrase?"

"Sir! This Private knows what both of those things are, sir!"

"Good! You have a brain on level with a school-foal then!"

His ear turned just a bit to the right and he could hear snickering. Ooooh, wrong time...He whipped around to face the green Pegasus that was trying desperately to set his face right again.

"You find my razor wit funny, soldier?"

The Pegasus froze in place, whatever spasms of laughter he had dying immediately.

"Sir! I find the Lieutenant very witty, sir!"

"I said 'funny', soldier, not 'witty'! You got clouds in your ears? I know Pegasi are flighty, but I didn't expect the metaphor to hold water!"

He eyed the now stricken Pegasus carefully. This was too much fun.

"Your wings look kind of puny, soldier! And you look a little chubby! I think someone's been laying on too much pastry and shirking his PT duties! Captain!"

Brassheart's voice rang out from beside the door.

"Yes sir, Lieutenant?"

"I recommend you put this green giggler on extra PT! I think he's too heavy to lift his fat ass off the ground!"

"I'll put him down for extra PT, sir!"

"Good! I expect next time I see you you'll be a lean, mean, green flying machine! Do I make myself clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good, soldier!"

Naruto roamed the barracks slowly. Brassheart was right, he did have a small crew. Half were here and half were patrolling. He really needed to beef up. He spied a Unicorn wearing glasses and moved in for the kill.

"You have trouble seeing, Squinty?"

"Sir! I wear corrective lenses, sir!"

"I can see that, soldier! I have perfect vision, something you apparently lack! You also lack the ability to see a rhetorical question! Are you so blind it's affected your hearing as well?"

"Sir, no sir!"

"Good, because I want you ALL to hear this! I have walked the town and observed your work. I have seen your barracks and I have to say..."

He dropped his voice back down to a normal tone and smiled.

"...you're all doing a good job. Keep up the good work. Make your Captain and your Princesses proud. Now, at ease. Are there any questions?"

The Pegasus raised his hoof and Naruto smirked.

"Yes, you still have to do that PT. No excuses. Now, are there any other questions?"

Every hoof went up.

* * *

An hour later, Naruto slumped into his chair in Brassheart's office.

"You have some good soldiers here, Brassheart. You know, that was my first time doing an inspection."

Brassheart leaned his hooves on the table in front of him.

"Really? I'm surprised. You seemed to know what you were doing. You kept them focused on your voice, but your eyes roamed around the room looking for anything too out of place. Impressive, if it truly was your first time. I would have personally called them out on the mess around some of the bunks, but other than that, I agree with every assessment you've made. You were quite thorough in your report."

"I've been in quite a few barracks tosses before, Captain. I didn't always stay within hoof's reach of Princess Celestia."

"I suppose not. I'm happy that my Guard passed inspection, but I still feel they need to tighten up a bit. I don't want them thinking that your approval can lead to slacking or dereliction of duty."

"We can't have that."

"No, we can't. Lieutenant Naruto, it has been a pleasure, but I must return to my duties and I'm sure you wish to be on your way as well."

Naruto stood and touched hooves with Brassheart, shaking vigorously.

"It has been a pleasure, Captain. I wish I could stay and visit a bit longer, but as you said, duty calls. I'll remember to talk to AJ when I get back home. Perhaps next time we can speak more at length."

"It would be most appreciated and I look forward to it, Lieutenant."

* * *

It was still a couple of hours until the time Celestia normally liked to take dinner, so Naruto decided that he would go ahead with finding Shining Armor. The Celestial Guard's activity was centered on the palace and the surrounding area, so it was easy to see how well they were carrying out their duties. He'd observed the Lunar Guard as well, though they were fewer in number, mostly due to Fellwing's selective choice and the stigma that they once carried.

He'd thought of going to find Celestia and seeing if she could point him in the direction of Shining Armor when a cough rang out behind him, followed by a gravely voice.

"Lieutenant Naruto."

Naruto froze in place and sighed heavily, not even hiding his displeasure at the familiar voice.

"Captain Fellwing. I had hoped to avoid you until tomorrow."

"Now why would you avoid me, Lieutenant? Aren't you the one inspecting my division?"

Naruto half-turned to look over his shoulder at the Pegasus, his dark purple armor and gray tufted helmet blending perfectly with his light gray coat. His eyes still had that reddish hue and he was smirking haughtily.

It only reaffirmed his dislike of Fellwing.

"We both know why I was avoiding contact with you until I absolutely had to. I despise you, you despise me. I don't wish to cause a scene out of respect for the Princess."

Fellwing blinked slowly, his face reverting back to a blank stare.

"I may not like you personally, Lieutenant, but my duty to the crown comes first. I dislike having to put up with you for even a fraction of a second, but I do as my Princess asks of me. Now, I know that you've been eyeing my Guard since you arrived. Follow me to my office and we can discuss this in detail."

Naruto stepped aside and swept his hoof down the hall.

"After you, sir."

* * *

Naruto felt slightly on edge as he sat on a cushion across from Fellwing. The older pony simply regarded him with calculating eyes. Naruto always hated that. Fellwing always seemed to size other ponies up.

"You've gotten bigger, Lieutenant. I hadn't thought that possible."

"It comes with growing up, Captain. I was still somewhat young when I was discharged."

"Indeed."

The two sat in silence for a moment longer before Fellwing sighed, dispelling some of the tension.

"I'd like to confess something before we start, Lieutenant. Despite the rather obvious fact that I don't like anything about your personality or you in general, I do respect your strength. I respect your dedication to Equestria. I've never doubted your loyalty, even if past events may point to otherwise."

Naruto just glared at the gray pony.

"I have no doubt that had I fought Nightmare Moon, I would have been slaughtered. I have experience over youth, Lieutenant, but experience doesn't count when your opponent wields the power of a Goddess. How you came out of that experience alive, I'll never know nor understand. However, you performed admirably and were prepared to lay down your life in the line of duty. I expected no less from a living legend of the Celestial Guard. For your Princess and for the safety of the Elements of Harmony, which I had thought to be a myth."

Fellwing stood and locked eyes with Naruto. Without a moment's hesitation, he flung his hoof against his chestplate, the horsehoe reverberating against the metal.

"I salute you, Lieutenant. You did a brave thing and even though we will never see eye to eye, I can respect that."

Fellwing sat back down and hardened his gaze at the dumbstruck Naruto.

"If you ever tell anypony that I gave you any form of admiration, I will deny it and, strength or not, I will gut you in front of both of the Princesses. Are we clear?"

Naruto took this for what it was. A hatchet burying. He and Fellwing would never see what the other saw on any level, but this was a laurel being extended and it would be uncouth of him not to accept. A childish part of him wanted to spit in his foe's face, but he had been raised to acknowledge when one was admitting fault.

His throat felt a little dry. This was the pony who had ruined his life at such a tender age. Caused him to have to leave the one place he had called home. But...if he hadn't of left, he wouldn't have met the Apples or any of his new friends. He strangely had Fellwing to thank for that. What was it Celestia used to tell him? Sometimes bad things happen so good things may come of them.

Naruto set his shoulders and tilted his chin just a bit.

"Let's go over what I've seen of your Guard, Captain."

Fellwing let just the tiniest smirk twitch at the edge of his mouth.

"Very well, Lieutenant."

Words are not always needed by those who know each other best. Sometimes an enemy knows you better than you know yourself. For the two ponies in that office, both as opposite from the other as can be, it was a silent truce.

Both wondered for how long though...

* * *

What had followed was a less than hostile, but more than amicable chat between the two ponies that left both satisfied. Fellwing had Naruto's commendation on his troops and a few kinks to iron out. Naruto had Fellwing's cooperation and silent acknowledgment.

Not bad for his first inspection ever.

They had finished just in time for supper, with Naruto excusing himself before he had to bust the wall out again. A truce they may have, but Fellwing was still too smug for his tastes. He'd strayed away from asking the obvious question: why the bias still against Earth ponies? He'd simply chosen to hold his tongue for now.

The doorman let him into the dining hall with aplomb and he stepped gingerly up to the table. Celestia was nibbling at her plate, but it was Luna who intrigued him. She was staring at the seat across from her with disgust. Perplexed, he snuck up behind the chair and peered over the side. There sat Spike, shoveling food into his mouth...quite literally shoveling. No wonder Luna was disgusted.

Naruto frowned and gently put his hoof on top of Spike's head. The destruction of food and manners alike stopped immediately.

"Mind your manners, little guy. I know Twilight doesn't care if you eat like a pig, but you're expected to behave here. Eat slowly or you'll get a tummy ache."

Spike jerked his head away from the hoof and growled, but started to eat properly.

"I'm not little! And I don't get tummy aches. I'm not a baby. Stop treating me like one. It's annoying."

"Would you rather I called you 'piggy'? It can be arranged."

With a snort and a quick puff of smoke from his nose, Spike dismissed Naruto and turned back to his food. Naruto chuckled and patted him on the head as he took his seat. Spike swatted at the hoof and glared.

"Stop that! Stop picking on me!"

"Boys, don't fight at the table."

Celestia couldn't help but be amused by the antics of the two. Naruto seemed to really enjoy messing with Spike and the little dragon, despite his growing annoyance, was taking it quite well. Celestia levitated her tea cup up to her mouth and smiled behind it as she took a sip. Luna tilted her head and leaned toward her sister.

"I don't remember us ever fighting like that at the table when we were younger."

"We never did. But then, we rarely fought over anything."

"True, true...it looks fun though. Spike is trying not to smile at Naruto, even though he wants to."

"You should work on your subtelty, Princess Luna. It doesn't work if we can hear what you're saying."

Luna glanced at Naruto and Spike out of the corner of her eyes and smirked.

"Who says you weren't supposed to hear, hmm?"

The table erupted into peals of laughter and went on for several moments before they all took a deep breath and sighed contentedly.

"So, Sir Naruto, did you and my Captain have a nice chat?"

Celestia bolted forward.

"Luna, did you make Fellwing talk to Naruto already? I thought we agreed not to force the issue."

"We did. And I didn't. I merely mentioned to Captain Fellwing that Naruto was investigating the palace. I am correct in my assumption that he found you? He seemed quite eager to be off after I told him."

The picture-perfect visage of innocence on Luna's face did not amuse Naruto.

"He did. And we had a very...illuminating conversation."

"Oh? About?"

"Things."

Luna fixed him with a hard stare.

"Sir Naruto..."

"I can't tell you what was said because it was said in confidence, Princess. The two of us have an understanding though and that is enough. Neither of you have to worry about the two of us crashing through the castle trying to kill each other. We might despise each other, but we're better than that."

Celestia scoffed and lifted her tea again.

"No, you'll just snipe sarcastic remarks at each other until one of you explodes. I've seen this before. But enough about Fellwing. How was your meeting with Brassheart?"

* * *

Naruto trudged into his room and immediately went for the shower, letting the water run down over him. It was one of the things he missed about the palace. The Apples had a big tub, but it wasn't the same. Perhaps if they ever expanded the house again he could convince them to put in a shower.

His worried seemed to melt away with each drop of water that cascaded off his coat. Brassheart had been a pleasant surprise and he had enjoyed his time amongst the Town Guard. Fellwing's troops...less so. While every Lunar Guard had been polite and nodded as he walked past, he couldn't help but feel the disdain from many. He wished he'd have brought the subject of bias to the forefront in his conversation. But then he was glad he hadn't as well.

He and Fellwing had a good truce going right now. No reason to spoil it just yet.

The hot water began to turn cold and Naruto turned the knob with his teeth, shutting it off and shaking quickly to rid himself of the excess. He sighed happily and stepped out to the bedroom, his hooves clicking on the tile. He'd gotten a lot accomplished and aside from a few unpleasantries during the conversation with Fellwing, he had a good day.

The bed was calling him now. He could almost hear its sweet song. His steps were slow and languid as he slunk forward in the dark bedroom, the only light that of Luna's moon shining through the window glass. He collapsed onto the bed and tugged the blanket over himself with his teeth.

It was quiet. He was comfortable. It was perfect. He drifted off into slumber.

"Pssst! Naruto!"

His ear flicked in the direction of the noise but he dismissed it. He was alone in his room and he was sleeping. Yep. All alone. No one else there.

"Hey! Pssst! Naruto!"

There was no reason for anyone to be in there but him. He didn't put up with roommates well. Celestia knew this.

"Naruto! Come on, dude, wake up!"

Naruto rolled over to face the voice, but refused to open his eyes.

"Spike, I'm going to open my eyes in a few moments and you're going to be on fire. Because that is the only conceivable reason that you are in my room this late at night. You're on fire and I'm the only one that can put it out. If I open my eyes and you're not on fire, I'm throwing you out of the window and then..."

"But I..."

"...then I'm going to come downstairs, stomp out your burning corpse, and go back to sleep in my nice, comfy bed before I'm arrested for murder."

Silence reigned for a moment and Naruto thought the little pest had taken the hint and left.

"But Princess Luna wanted to talk to you before you went to sleep. She sent me to get you. You think I want to be in here dealing with a grumpy pony that can stomp me flat?"

Naruto growled and flung the covers back, throwing them over Spike in the process.

"Fine. If it's the Princess' bidding. Where is she?"

A muffled noise that sounded like 'the garden' came from the pile of covers. Naruto snorted and stomped past the little dragon, who peered out from under the blanket.

"Sheesh, what a grouch. I'm never waking him up ever again. Ever."

* * *

Naruto padded up slowly behind Luna, not even bothering to conceal his steps.

"You wished to see me, Milady?"

Luna turned and regarded him with a smile.

"I apologize for dragging you out of bed, Sir Naruto. I know you must be tired and I won't take too much of your time."

"Your wish is my command, Princess."

Luna hummed and looked back up at the moon.

"When I was imprisoned in the moon, I didn't really feel anything. No pain or anything of the sort. It was a punishment. I saw things transpire as if looking through glass."

Naruto sat on his haunches and listened as she spoke.

"I saw that my night was truly enjoyed, though my bitterness still blinded me to that fact. It is the time for lovers, for the nocturnal creatures, for deeds good and bad. My night is revered, just not verbally. Without my night, crops would wither and die under an unforgiving sun. No one would sleep. It would drive everypony literally to insanity. My night may not be as outwardly appreciated as Celestia's day, but it is just as important."

She turned and smiled at him.

"What do you think, Lieutenant?"

Naruto shuffled a bit and forced back a yawn.

"I have always revered your night, Milady. I appreciate my sleep and your moon is much more relaxing than the sun. I love to look at the stars and Celestia's sun won't allow me to do that. I traveled at night when I could because it was much cooler and roads not so clogged. But..."

Luna leaned forward slightly to hear.

"...you are two sides of the same coin. Your moon is as much a blessing as the sun and I cannot choose between the two, if that's what you are asking. I am simply nopony to judge such things."

Luna grinned and sat down across from him.

"Did it sound like I was fishing for compliments, Lieutenant? Or were you just being flattering?"

As Naruto stammered, Luna hid her mouth behind a hoof and giggled.

"Celestia was right. You are adorable when flustered. I wish that I had been around to see you as you were growing up. Celestia showed me the cutest pictures earlier today. So serious, even as a little colt. Your scowl was positively precious."

Naruto's scowl at the mention of his childhood pictures only reinforced her laughter.

"See? It's still just as cute."

"Was there something you needed to ask me, Princess? Or was this a way too embarass me a bit?"

Luna 'humphed' and crossed her forelegs across her chest.

"Celestia was right. You do need to lighten up. I called you here for a reason, Sir Naruto. I need an assurance from you."

"Of what, Milady?"

Luna sighed sadly and looked down.

"I became consumed by my anger and bitterness and turned into Nightmare Moon, a fiend of dark and horrible power. I still have that hate within me. I always will. The Elements of Harmony cured me of my madness, but I fear one day that it may rear its head again. I need you to make a promise to me, as the only one with power enough to stand up to me. I want you to promise that if I reach that state again and I can't be brought back, you will be the one to end it."

Naruto was taken aback, one leg rising before his chest, as if to protect himself.

"Princess Luna...such morbid thoughts are unbecoming a Princess such as yourself. I couldn't possibly..."

"You have within you a great hidden power. I felt it when we fought. You have untapped magic within you, a great well of it. If ever I threaten the kingdom again, you must promise me that you will stop me. Promise me."

Naruto leaned his head back and looked at the moon. It was so full and beautiful. Why was he always in the middle of such things? All he wanted was to go back home and live his simple life. It was so much easier on the farm...

"If that is what you wish, my Princess, then I solemnly swear to stop you. But we both know it will never come to that again."

"Yes. Let's hope so..."

The two stood in a stange, strangled sort of silence for a moment.

"Well, I won't take up any more of your time, Sir Naruto. I just wanted that reassurance from you."

"Princess Luna?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you insist on calling me 'Sir'? I'm not a knight of the realm."

She smiled at him and chuckled.

"Well, you're _my_ knight. You helped save me from myself. That's why I call you 'Sir'. It's my little way of saying thank you."

Naruto could feel his ears begin to burn from the small praise. He decided he'd had enough for one night.

"Well, if that is all you need me for, Milady, then I'd like to return to bed."

"Of course, Sir Naruto. Good night and pleasant dreams."

As Naruto stumbled off back to bed, Luna continued to sit in the garden, observing the night sky and her old prison, the moon. She wondered how things might have turned out had she not succumbed to jealousy and bitterness. She cut her eyes slightly behind her with a start.

"Is there something I can help you with, Celestia? I would have thought you'd be asleep by now."

Celestia stepped up beside her sister and sat down, looking up at the moon.

"We both know that neither of us need sleep anymore. It's simply something to pass the time. Did you have a good conversation with Naruto?"

"I did."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, neither wanting to break this moment of peace between them.

"Celestia?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"When are you going to tell Naruto the truth about his origins?"

"I...I don't know what you mean."

Luna's eyes narrowed at her sister's shallow attempt at dodging the question.

"Come now, Celestia. You've shown me your dream diary. We both saw that creature at the castle. Naruto was not originally a pony. He is here for a purprose. Your diary said that he is to finally understand and enjoy peace. But every time I've seen him it seems as if he is at battle within himself. He doesn't know where he belongs in the world."

"Luna..."

"He is _your_ student. You practically raised him. You've guided him. You know that he is intelligent and wise. Why are you afraid to share this knowledge with him?"

Celestia sighed and looked skyward again, her mouth shod in a frown.

"He suspects many things, Luna. He's told me that he sometimes hears a voice during his meditations. Did you know that he can see a manifestation of the magic inside him? He says it is like a dam that holds back an endless ocean with a tiny crack that feeds him some of the magic. But whenever he tries to collapse the wall, he grows hesitant and hears a voice that tells him 'You are not ready'. Luna, I can't manifest something like that and neither can you."

"Then why..."

"Because I don't know what he would do. He deserves to know the truth of what I know...what I think I know. I know what we saw that night you returned, the female who fawned over him, acting distraught and annoyed that he was hurt. Both of us saw her so she couldn't have been a hallucination. You remember what she said. She'd seen him like this not once, not twice, but many times. I can't imagine what his life was like before this."

The two sat in silence again, the sound of crickets the only noise in the garden.

"Luna, he is here to know the peace we share, but peace comes in different forms. For Naruto, I believe that peace is protecting and being surrounded by those he loves. It's why he was so reluctant to leave Canterlot. I was all he knew. He lived and breathed for me. It's why he wandered lost for so many years."

"Do you remember what Starswirl the Bearded told us so many years ago, Celestia?"

"No."

"I do. It was as if it was yesterday. For me, it might as well have been. 'Our present is always inexplicably tied to our past and our future must follow'. I believe that wall you speak of to be tied to Naruto's past and if it crumbles, his past may become known to him. Some of it at least. If he knows that you knew something and didn't say anything, it will hurt him."

"You think I should just confess what I think I saw? That he was not originally a pony, but something else?"

"I think you should tell him the truth. Let him read your diary and if need be, I'll corroborate what we saw in the castle. You don't have to do it now, Celestia, but soon would be better. You know that it is the right thing to do."

Celestia sighed and nodded her head in acceptance.

"I will tell him when I feel the time is right. And as his mentor, I alone reserve the right to tell him. Agreed?"

Luna gave her a tight nod.

"Agreed."

* * *

Naruto woke the next morning and decided that he needed to do something physical. He wanted to test his strength and speed again. There had to be something here that he could use to exert himself. It was still an hour before breakfast, not enough time for a run, but perhaps he could find a weight room.

He cantered off to the Celestial Guard's section of the castle. If he couldn't find something to do, then he could get a jump on inspecting Shining Armor's men. His muscles twitched on the way to wherever his hooves led him. He needed to be active!

A quick stroll through Canterlot led him to the gates, open as always to show that the city always welcomed visitors. He trotted through with nary a glance at the guards and down the road to the base of the mountain that the city was built into. Once at his starting point, he trotted in place and stretched to limber himself up. He didn't want to pull any muscles. He took one last deep breath and took off in a jog.

His jog quickly became a trot, the trot a run, and then into a full-on gallop. His breathing became measured and his blood pumped like lightning through his veins. The world around him became a blur and his hooves thundered against the ground. The last time he'd moved this fast, he had been running to save the girls from Nightmare Moon.

His vision became clearer as his adrenaline surged, even as the world around him became nothing but lines. He grit his teeth and lowered his head. Every rock was a potential trip, every grain of sand existed to make him fall. Trees would pop up on the horizon and he would mildly shift his weight to avoid them.

He loved running like this. A mental note was made that he would need to start running back at the farm. Not like he wasn't up early enough anyway. A thought popped up that he really did have strange thoughts when he ran. It was like his mind was cleared of all problems. So strange...

He nearly stumbled over a pebble, but caught himself in time that his rythym didn't suffer. Yeah, he needed to pay more attention. The ground under him shook as he rounded the mountain and came into the home stretch. He leapt up into the air and twisted his body, landed facing the way he came, and skidded to a stop, his hooves digging trenches into the ground. When he finally came to a fullstop, he reared up on his hind legs and whinnyed loudly.

As his front hooves met the ground again, he grinned and began to trot slowly back toward the gates of Canterlot, allowing himself to cool down. He needed to shower before breakfast and gather his wits for his final inspection and meeting with Shining Armor. Then it was a final night at the castle and back to the orchard. If he played his cards right, maybe he could convince the Princess to lengthen the time in between inspections to every four months. It wasn't necessary to come around that often, but he figured that Celestia was just using this as an excuse to make him visit.

He had noticed that a lot of the guards were giving him strange looks on his way back to the palace, but figured it was merely the fact that he was sweating all over and covered in dust. He went immediately to his room and turned the knob with his teeth. A gentle kick closed the door and he trudged to the bathroom. As the water cascaded down on him, he sighed. No more rest after this.

* * *

Breakfast concluded without much pomp and circumstance, for which Naruto was grateful. He wanted to finish his business as quickly as possible. He'd observed the Celestial Guard and found that they were very well disciplined. Shining Armor may have been a young Captain, but he kept a horseshoe on the neck of his stallions, making sure they did as intended.

He was very impressed by the power of his magic as well. It wasn't unheard of for a unicorn's magic to attune to a certain spell, but to attune to wards especially was odd. Forcefields were a very specialized area of magic and not many took to them. Attack magic was normally more valued among soldier unicorns. Defensive magic was rare.

He still felt the adrenaline coursing through him, aftershocks left over from his run. He wanted to spar with someone, to get all of this out of his system. Surely there was a stallion in the Celestial Guard who could fight with him, give him a challenge. He'd just have to ask Shining Armor...

Maybe he was just bored. Doing the three companies by themselves had seemed a good idea at first but next time, he figured he'd just do a general assembly in the courtyard and get it all done at once, then confer with the Captains. Yeah, that was the way to do it.

He wandered a bit through the halls, wondering what would have been if he had stayed, fought Fellwing's little machinations a bit more. Would he have been a Captain by now? Would he have continued his service as faithfully as before? He didn't have answers for these. Perhaps Celestia was right. There was no reason to ponder on 'what-ifs'. They were bothersome things.

What had happened was the he walked through the world lost on the road of life until he had been found and taken in, somewhat by force, but taken in nonetheless. He'd gained a family of sorts and friends, good friends. He'd even had a part in saving the Spirits of Harmony themselves, giving them time to active the Elements. And he had the favor of both the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon.

None of that would have happened had he stayed by Celestia's side. Of that he was certain.

His walk finally led him to Shining Armor's office, where a guard stood outside. Naruto strolled up and stopped in front of the stoic guardsman.

"Is the Captain in?"

A short nod was his answer.

"Does he have any appointments that you are aware of?"

A clipped shake of the head.

"May I go in?"

The guard stood resolute, giving away nothing. Naruto sighed.

"Fine, I'm going in."

A spear was thrust in front of him in the middle of the doorway and Naruto frowned at the guard, who now returned his gaze.

"You think you can actually stop me if I want to go inside?"

"That's enough, Lieutenant. Guard, let him in."

Naruto and the guard exchanged looks again and Naruto smirked.

"One of Fellwing's former guards, huh? I'll keep a look out for you."

He stepped inside without any further incidence and closed the door behind him. Shining Armor was at his desk, writing on a piece of parchment.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Lieutenant. Please have a seat."

Naruto sat and looked around the room with his eyes, not wanting to seem rude. He could see a few pictures of Shining Armor's family, a young Twilight Sparkle very prominent. Awards he'd won, medals given, mementos of his illustrious career. The corner of Naruto's mouth turned up just a bit. It was a bit more decorated than his old office had been, but he supposed that a pony dedicated to his work had no room for frivolous things.

"Well, that's done. Now, how can I help you, Lieutenant?"

Naruto refocused his gaze on Shining Armor, taking in the royal purple armor he wore, the helmet that sat just so on his desk, the way he seemed to size one up and welcome them at the same time. His white coat bore no resemblance to Twilight's purple one, but they both had a streak in their mane and tail. A family trait perhaps?

"Lieutenant?"

* * *

Shining Armor couldn't help but flinch when Naruto's blue eyes snapped forward and locked with his own. He hadn't been in the service when Naruto had been and he had no idea how to take the large Earth pony. All he had to go on was stories, conjecture, and an assurance from the Princess that Naruto was professional and fair.

This stallion had done it all, seen it all. He was what every soldier should aspire to be. But he had read the records of his discharge and talked with Fellwing. Naruto apparently had some backdoor dealings going on way back then. Hard to believe with his service record, but he supposed every pony had weaknesses. Brassheart vehemently denied all charges, going so far as to say that Fellwing had set the whole thing up.

Shining Armor just couldn't believe that. Maybe some of the charges were trumped, but Fellwing had never been anything but honest with him. The older pegasus was always less than cordial with the Earth pony captain though...

"I'm here to speak with you about your troops and about your magical abilities."

Shining Armor's mind snapped back into focus. He could ponder on these mysteries later. Right now was time to focus on business.

"Of course, Lieutenant. What have you found?"

"A few things. Nothing that would threaten security as it were, but I feel some of your guards are overly lax, others are overly assertive."

"You speak of the guard outside the door?"

"Among others. He was once part of Fellwing's comapny, wasn't he?"

"Yes. He's one of my most trusted guards. It's why he stands outside my office. When Captain Fellwing took over the Lunar Guard, he recommended a few good soldiers to help me get situated."

"I see."

"Do you have something against Captain Fellwing?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow and Shining Armor was afraid he'd stepped over the line.

"Yes, I do. But that is neither here nor there, Captain. Mine and Fellwing's past is just that...the past. I am here to forge a better future."

"Pretty words, Lieutenant. Has my sister been rubbing off on you?"

Naruto's face gave nothing away, but his eyebrow quirked just a tad higher.

"I had thought to talk with you about family after our business had concluded, but this is just as well. Are you close to your sister, Shining Armor?"

"Of course. The only ones closer to her would be my parents, Princess Celestia, and her foal-sitter, Princess Cadence."

"Ah yes, now I know why Twilight looked so familiar when I first saw her. She was still a little thing when I left the palace. Princess Cadence asked for my help with her a couple of times."

Shining Armor seemed surprised by this but Naruto simply carried on.

"Your family is a very prominent one, Captain. You and your sister are very close to Princess Celestia. Your parents must be proud."

"They are."

"You've come very far, very young. Are you a student of history?"

"I've done my share of studying. My parents instilled a love of knowledge in both myself and Twilight. I chose to become a soldier while Twilight continued down the academic path."

"I see. You're both prodigies when it comes to magic as well. Are you a reader of the musings of StarSwirl the Bearded?"

"I...have skimmed over some of his material, yes. You'd be better off discussing his theories and findings with Twilight. She's a bit obsessed with his teachings...or she was last time I saw her."

"I'll do that. Now, shall we discuss what I've seen of your guard?"

"That would be appreciated."

* * *

Nearly an hour later the two had hammered out what Naruto had found and decided on ways to shape things up. Both were a bit restless after having sat for so long and Naruto thought of an idea.

"Would you walk with me, Capatain? I have a request of you, if I may."

"Of course. Lead the way."

Shining Armor informed his guard that he would be stepping out and he and Naruto began their walk. Neither looked at the other as they traipsed through the halls of the palace.

"Tell me, Captain, you can do other magic besides wards, yes?"

"Well, of course. Levitation is another of my strongest magics. My sister is more adept at the more esoteric of magical schools, but I manage fairly well."

"Good, good."

The only sound for a few moments was the sound of their hooves tapping the marble floor before Shining Armor's curiosity got the better of him.

"Why do you ask?"

Naruto let the silence linger for a bit longer before answering.

"I need a challenge, Captain. Brassheart is not as strong as I am, so hoof-to-hoof combat is out. Fellwing is faster than me, but even he knows that he can't really do much damage to me and I'll outlast him. Your magic intrigues me. I wish to see what the unicorn who can set up a city-wide ward can do."

"Lieutenant...I've heard stories of your prowess. I don't believe all of them, some are just too fantastical. But what do you want me to do?"

Naruto hummed to himself as they started down the steps to the guard's practice field.

"I want you to give me a challenge. I want you to arrange one of your wards around me, levitate weapons at me, just give me a challenge! I want to see where I still stand compared to the captains of today."

Shining Armor was taken aback by the request.

"But Naruto...you fought Princess Luna herself. You fought her alter ego, Nightmare Moon! There is nothing I can throw at you that would come close to that life and death struggle."

Naruto smirked and cut his eye to look at the white unicorn.

"Just 'Naruto' now, Shining Armor? Are we past titles already?"

"Uh...that was rude of me, sir. I apologize."

"Think nothing of it. I don't mind a bit. Technically, I'm not an officer anymore. I'm just on loan from Sweet Apple Acres for the benefit of the Princess."

Shining Armor nodded his head thoughtfully. There were ponies training in the field.

"An apple farmer? I would have never guessed that a legend such as yourself would have ended up in a little town like Ponyville. As I stated before, I've only heard stories, but your legend still stands. The Princess herself has told me some."

"I hope I don't disappoint then. Now, you might want your men to clear the field. We'll need room."

The troops hustled off the field when ordered and Naruto strode out into the middle. Shining Armor was a bit apprehensive about this. The Earth pony wasn't even wearing any armor. Naruto seemed to sense this and smiled.

"Don't worry about me, Captain. Just concentrate on what you're going to do. Consider this a personal favor."

"What do you want me to do?"

Naruto smirked and rolled his shoulders.

"Surprise me."

The white unicorn looked over at a rack of spears and his horn began to glow. The spears levitated in the air and he looked back, still uncertain. His eyes widened when he saw Naruto rear up on his hind legs and make a 'bring it' motion with his forelegs.

His vision narrowed and his horn glowed more.

* * *

It was amazing to see. Shining Armor's focus was completely on Naruto as the rust-orange pony darted in and out of the flying spears. They would stab, he would dodge. They would swing and he would duck. They would descend and he would rise. It was becoming annoying to Shining Armor for the simple fact that he hadn't even managed to nick him yet!

He had to admit...some of those stories might not have been imagined...

"Come on, Captain! Stop trying to hit me and hit me!"

Oh no he didn't...

Shining Armor's eyes tore to the side where another unicorn stood, mouth agape.

"Major!"

"Sir!"

"Take that suit of armor and cast a 'Come-to-Life' spell on it. Send it to attack the Lieutenant."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Naruto heard the clanking of the armor as it bore down on him and grinned widely. Finally, Shining Armor was thinking outside the box! He leapt over the faux pony and bent back to avoid the barrage of spearheads. The rush was exhilirating!

The armor took a swipe at his side and barely missed hitting him. Shining Armor was becoming more intent of hitting him with the spears as well. He missed this thrill. Fighting multiple enemies at once, the threat of danger looming, even if it was miniscule. They wouldn't go for lethal blows after all. But he was having so much fun.

The suit of armor rushed in again and collided with him when he ducked a triple jab of spears. It was being directly controlled now he understood. He thrust downward with a front hoof and caved in the back plates, sending the armor reeling.

The spears were the real threat. Shining Armor had a fantastic mind to be able to make all the spears go in different directions at the same time. Multitasking at its finest. The armor stumbled back onto its ethereal hooves and rushed toward him again.

"What is going on here?"

Everything in the clearing froze. Shining Armor's magic was still active, holding the spears in place where they had missed Naruto's body, forming a sort of cage around him. Naruto froze in place, upright on his back hooves, letting the spears hold him up. And the suit of armor froze for a second before sucker punching him in the face. Naruto flopped to the ground and Shining Armor released the spears.

"Ow."

Celestia loomed over the field, somehow seeming larger than she already was.

"I asked what was going on here, Captain, Lieutenant?"

Naruto worked his jaw back in place and stood up.

"We were doing a bit of sparring, Princess Celestia. Nothing serious. I requested it."

She turned her gaze to a nervous Shining Armor.

"Is this true, Captain?"

"Uh...yes, Milady. We were simply following his wishes."

"Don't be hard on them, Princess. I just wanted to cut loose a bit and see how good the Captain's magic was. He works well with his Major. Very formidable team."

"So, this was part of your inspection?"

"Well, it was more a way for me to let off a little...yes. Yes, it is part of the inspection."

The sheepish grin he gave her just made her sigh and shake her head.

"Whatever am I going to do with you, Naruto? Even now you manage to give me a headache. I thought you were being attacked."

Naruto looked at the now crumpled armor, released from its spell.

"Now why in the world would you think that? Shining Armor has been a gracious host so far and we were having fun, weren't we, Captain?"

Before Shining Armor could respond Celestia groaned and flapped her wings, propelling herself into the air.

"Ugh...you're going to be the death of me one day, Naruto."

Everyone watched as she flew off back to the castle, somewhat unnerved that she had left as she did. Naruto sighed and gave them all a lopsided grin.

"What? None of you knew she had a flair for the melodramatic?"

* * *

Luna sat and listened, bemused, as her sister ranted on and on about her student.

"...and then he goes and organizes a skirmish between him and the Captain of my Guard! Can you believe that? That colt is going to be the death of me, I swear it!"

Celestia glared as Luna giggled, trying to regain her lost composure.

"But Sister, he meant no harm by it. He merely wanted to, how did you say, 'loosen up'"

Celestia ground her teeth.

"They were using real spears."

Luna just waved it off.

"A mere pin prick after what I did to him. Come now, Celestia. You're being a mother hen. He's a grown stallion. Let him have a bit of fun with the soldiers. Heaven knows that he's stirred up quite a bit of controversy since being here."

Celestia sighed and flopped down onto the cushion beside her sister in a very unregal manner.

"I only arranged this so that I could spend some time with him. The Captains can perform their own inspections and it has worked for hundreds of years. I didn't expect him to find as many faults as he had, so I suppose that an outside opinion did some good, but..."

Luna cocked her head to the side.

"But?"

"But I just wanted to spend some time with the closest thing I'll ever have to a son. You said it best...I practically raised him. And he disappeared for so many years..."

"Then why all the pretense? Why not just invite him back to visit?"

"Because he has his own life now. He's...a farm worker. He has responsibilities that don't lie with Canterlot anymore. Working that farm takes up a tremendous amount of time. And if he comes here, then I get to help out one of the Elements of Harmony by sending workers and a stipend. I don't know. At the time it seemed like a smart thing to do. I'm not omnipotent."

Luna nuzzled her sister's neck lovingly.

"Neither of us are, Celestia. And I am not the best pony to ask for familial advice. Nor...well...any kind of relationship advice really. But I do know that if you had asked, he probably would have jumped at the chance to visit you."

Celestia sighed deeply.

"I know, but Naruto sometimes takes...coercion. Despite being loyal and loving, he is also bullheaded and stubborn. I'll tell him at dinner that he doesn't have to come by as often as he does."

Naruto removed his ear from the door and walked away. He still had a ways to go until dinner and he needed to clear his mind.

* * *

Just outside of the Eastern part of the city, lay a plot of land set aside for those who gave their lives for Equestria. Naruto's hooves led him to the graveyard and to a simple headstone in a far corner. He sat down in front of the piece of granite and looked at it sadly.

_Starshine_

_Captain of the Celestial Guard_

_A Unicorn who's loyalty for his country knew no depths_

Naruto ran a hoof over the rough surface. This was the pony who had helped shape him into what he was today. The small headstone did the greatness of the pony in the ground no justice and it was with a little guilt that he realized he didn't bring flowers. He would rectify that next time.

He scraped away some grime from the insignia at the top that let the world know of the deceased pony's rank. Captain. A rank that Starshine had always told him he'd hold someday.

_'No one can ever hold you back if you forge ahead, son. You're too stubborn to let a thing like limitations hold you down.'_

A tear slipped unbidden onto the ground below. His mentor, his father figure...it had been painful to see him go. Starshine had been old when Naruto had been very young, but he was never too old to correct stupidity amongst the ranks. Even Fellwing had been subject to corrections by the tough old unicorn. That elicited a small laugh at the thought.

Starshine had been Naruto's inspiration. He believed that hard work could get any pony anywhere. Natural talent would only take you so far without the blood, sweat, and tears to back it up. He pushed when others stopped shoving. Pulled him along when others would have dropped him. He made him better. He made a stallion out of a colt.

He'd taught him battlefield tactics, strategy, the way of the body and mind. He'd opened doors that Celestia had feared to open to him. Starshine saw potential and he'd be damned if he'd have let it go to waste. The old Captain had produced the strongest Earth pony the military had ever seen and he let the other Captains know it, with great glee.

_'You all laughed when I said that he'd be great. Well, look at him now! He outshines anything you can offer. I took what you called a turd and I polished it into a diamond!'_

He loved that old Unicorn. Blunt, but respectful. Harsh, but kind. He'd stomp you into the ground and then lift you back to your feet, asking if you had learned what was necessary not to end up eating dirt again.

He'd been the only male role model that Naruto ever respected and Naruto followed him dutifully until he retired. It hadn't been long after that that whatever ailment he had took him. Naruto hadn't even listend to the eulogy. He was engrossed in how a pony that was always so strong, so wise, could be taken down by something so small and insignificant. Starshine had hidden his ailment from everyone, even the Princess.

It had been his recommendation that got Naruto assigned to the Princess as her bodyguard. He knew what palace politics would do to the colt and even when he was on his last legs, he had thought ahead. Naruto had tried to emulate him as much as possible. Starshine had no children. He was married to his country. His mistress was the battlefield.

Naruto had been the son he never had. Even if he never said it, Naruto knew. The day he became a Lieutenant was the last day of Starshine's service. It was his retirement party, not Naruto's celebration party for such things were expected of talent, but the old Captain had said something that stuck with Naruto forever.

_'I'm proud of you, Naruto. You came from nothing and made something of yourself. You deserve that rank, son. Now stand tall and give your old Captain one last salute! The next time I see you, it'll be as equals!'_

Naruto rose back to his hooves and lifted his right foreleg to his chest.

"It'll never be the last salute, Captain Starshine. Not as long as I'm breathing. I'll never make Captain, but I'll still make you proud."

He walked out of the cemetery with his head held high, just as he'd been taught.

* * *

Celestia had her little chat with Naruto at dinner and he agreed to her terms. He would do the inspection every four months instead, with the understanding that he'd have to visit every now and then in between. Guards would still be sent in his place and a stipend would still be paid.

Applejack would be ecstatic.

Spike had gone home earlier that day and for that, Naruto was happy. The little dragon was nice, but he wore on the nerves with his incessant questions. He was smart, but Twilight needed to tell him not to question everything. Some things just were...

Then Celestia had dropped one last bomb on him.

"I need one more favor from you, Naruto. It's a small one and you don't have to do anything but stand for a while."

He could already see where this was going, but nodded anyway.

"There is a griffon delegation coming tomorrow to offer tribute. Would you be a dear and be mine and Luna's bodyguard? It's just for one day."

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes.

"Of course, Princess, but I don't have any armor to wear that will fit me."

"Taken care of. I've taken the liberty of having your new armor made for you. They're finishing final alterations as we speak and it'll be delivered to you in the morning. I will also have them deliver a surprise for you."

Naruto stared at her as if she'd grown another head. Celestia laughed and levitated her water glass.

"I had the seamstress Rarity take your measurements back in Ponyville when you were in your coma. It's much easier to get them when you're not squirming."

The idea of Rarity's hooves roaming over him didn't quite sit right. He'd just met her after all...intimate dance notwithstanding.

"In any event, it's all taken care of. Just be in the throne room early in the morning. I'm assuming you remember the routine?"

"Of course, Princess. I live to serve."

* * *

The next morning came all too quickly for Naruto, but he was on his hooves after the first knock on the door. Two servants wheeled in his armor on a rolling mannequin and after some polite introductions and 'good mornings', they began the task of outfitting him.

He liked the armor. It was reminiscent of the old style that he wore before his little exile, but had extra platelets here and there for better protection. Between the plates was a layer of chainmail and it was all padded by a very soft, silken underarmor. It was specially made just for him, a bright silver with golden etchings. It was the surprise that made him gasp.

It was his headband, just as it had been when he gave it to Celestia. The metal shone brightly in the early morning sun and the horns had been buffed. He wished he knew what the engraved characters meant. Perhaps a bit more study was necessary. He could probably pay Twilight to do it. The two servants finished the last little bits and bowed before leaving.

He slowly walked in front of the mirror and straightend up a bit. Yes, this was the Lieutenant, feared bodyguard of Celestia. This was the living legend. He wondered how the griffon delegation would act when they saw him. He didn't have many friends amongst them. Well, he had NO friends amongst them. But he'd defeated more than a few and left them alive. That counted, right?

His armor clinked as he walked to the throne room, the platelets shifting smoothly into the correct positions. He felt great, the weight from the steel comforting him. He halfway hoped in the back of his mind that she would let him wear it from now on when he visited in the future.

Any soldier he passed saluted immediately, their eyes wide as he nodded to them and walked on past. He supposed he did look a little intimidating and he was larger than any pony currently in the service. Idly, he wondered what Big Mac would look like in armor. He snickered, imagining the red Earth pony kicking apple trees while wearing a metal suit.

Quite funny.

He finally entered the throne room and walked the gauntlet of soldiers all the way up to the throne. Celestia and Luna had already attended to the sun and moon a bit earlier than usual so that they would have time to meet the delegates and they were whispering back and forth to each other. Naruto mounted the dais and took his place in between them, slightly to the rear, but close enough that he could react if need be.

Celestia looked back at him and smiled.

"You look very handsome, Naruto, just like back then."

His ears burned at the compliment, but he was in bodyguard mode now, and made no reply. Celestia sighed and turned back around.

"Spoilsport. Fine, be like that. Luna, are you ready for your first diplomatic delegation?"

Luna took a deep breath and let it out slowly, steeling herself for what lay ahead.

"As I'll ever be, Celestia. I feel a bit more at ease with Sir Naruto here."

Celestia nodded and turned back to the front. In a few moments, the Griffon delegation would enter and the least fun part of her job would begin.

"Yes, he does make quite a presence. I always found negotiations a bit more tolerable and malleable with a pony who can crush boulders standing beside me. I just hope that the Griffon delegation is not offended that he is here. He put down quite a few of their little rebellions when he was on the frontline."

"Frontline?"

"Oh yes. Naruto wasn't always here in the palace. His former Captain actually sent him out to the forts and borders quite a bit in his younger years. He made quite a name for himself out there. But that's a story for another time. Prepare yourself, sister dear."

Naruto squared his shoulders as the Princesses turned back to face the large throne room doors. He wanted to look the part of the badass soldier.

* * *

_Two days later..._

Naruto sighed as he stepped off the chariot and bade the two pegasi charioteers goodbye. They'd opted to drop him right in the middle of Ponyville for some reason, despite his request to be flown straight home. They'd informed him that they had orders and needed to be back as soon as possible. He had scoffed at that. Like Sweet Apple Acres was so far away...

Still...it was good to be back in Ponyville. He only wanted to go home, catch up on what had happened in his absence, and go back to working the farm tomorrow. He trotted down the main street for all of fifteen feet before a newspaper was thrust into his face. His neck snapped back and his ears flattened against his head when he heard a familiar voice.

"And just what the hell is this?"

Naruto's vision focused on the headline of the paper and he winced.

_Hero of Griffon Crisis Back in Saddle_

_Lieutenant Naruto Stands Guard Over Royalty One More Time_

He idly wondered where they'd gotten the photographin that paper. Photographers weren't supposed to be allowed in the throne room during such events. Seems he'd have to write a letter to Shining Armor.

Applejack jerked the paper back down to reveal not only her, but all five of her friends. Naruto quirked an eyebrow. How the hell had they found him? He'd only been back thirty seconds. His eyes darted from one mare to the other.

Rainbow Dash looked positively gleeful. Her magenta eyes kept cutting from the paper to him and back to an increasingly irate Applejack. Fluttershy had hidden behind her own copy of the paper, as if to cut herself off from the inevitable explosion, while Twilight read over her shoulder. Rarity's bottom lip was pooched out as she studied his picture, seeming to take in every detail and critique it. Pinkie Pie blinked and tilted her head to the side, as if confused by everything.

Applejack glared and leaned in.

"Well? Gonna tell us why you're called the 'Hero of the Griffon Crisis'? Got a backstory you'd care to share, Mister Hero?"

Naruto took one look at all six mares and grinned widely. He was going to enjoy this. The Big Mac approach always got AJ wound up.

"Nnope."

Applejack's eyes widened impossibly. Her teeth ground and she began to shake as he walked on by.

"Naruto! Don't you walk away from me! And don't you use that tone! You've got some explaining to do."

"Nnope."

"Naruto! Get back here!"

"Nnope."

"Naruto!"

**Aaaand done. Hope you enjoyed this installment. More to come! pudgypudge out!**


	7. Scales, Feathers, and A Story

**Aaand chapter seven arrives. Larger than usual, so I hope that makes up for the delay. I rewrote this chapter several times before I got it like I wanted. I swear, I'm my own worst enemy sometimes. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment. I'm working on the next right now. _The Star-Spangled Banner by Madison Rising._**

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Applejack wasn't mad at Naruto. No, not mad. She was just greatly annoyed by him and his attitude. She was the Spirit of Honesty and, as such, appreciated that quality more than anything or anyone. Naruto had never explicitly lied about his past, so she couldn't be mad at him about that. She was, however, hurt that he still had yet to confide parts of his past to her and her family.

He was practically another brother to her, Mac, and Applebloom in all but blood. He fit into her family so well that it was like he'd always been there. The other members of the Apple family that had come down for the reunion had thought he'd been a long lost relative. His easy going nature and his charm made him a natural fit.

But there was still so much she didn't know about him. Despite his affable personality and his general likeability (and his work ethic didn't hurt either) he was still a mystery. And Applejack hated mysteries. She was a pony who liked results, but secrets made her head and secrets were like oil and water. They didn't mix and it was one reason AJ had never been a good liar. Hell, she was a horrible liar.

It had been over a month since he returned and things had settled into routine once again. She had snickered quietly as he grilled the guards before they returned to Canterlot, their grim faces and sweaty brows only adding to the hilarity of the situation as Naruto did his little inspection. She just couldn't picture someone actually being afraid of the gentle giant sometimes. She supposed that came from watching him interact with the Cutie Mark Crusaders on a near daily basis. He was especially gentle around children.

Work had gone much smoother once they all fell back into their normal methods. Naruto and Mac would swap duties plowing and bucking, all the while sniping remarks at each other good naturedly when they were within earshot. The guards were good and got a lot accomplished, but they just weren't up to the task like the two workhorses that lived on the farm.

But the question of why he was the Hero of the Griffon Crisis still plagued her. It shouldn't. She knew that he was a hero of Equestria. He'd saved her friends from death. It bothered her that he wouldn't divulge the details. And Rainbow Dash was practically frothing at the mouth to know why. The pegasus simply couldn't imagine anyone not wanting their accolades shouted from the heavens.

Applejack sighed and watched as Mac and Naruto started to come in for lunch. Saturdays were half days for the Apple family and lunch was their work whistle. She had plans to skip lunch with the family and go into town to visit.

* * *

"...can't believe we're even discussing this! Rainbow Dash, you can't go around starting rumors like that!"

"It's not a rumor! I heard it from Gilda back in flight school! Tell me that it isn't possible! Go on! You can't, because it could totally be him!"

"But Dashie, he's not a mean pony like that. He's really nice. And he saved us. And the Princess believes in him. And..."

"That's all you have to go on is a story, Rainbow. I've checked the backlogs of the newspapers like you asked and I haven't found any reference to what you're saying. Just that he was very brave for what he did and that he was called the Hero of the Griffon Crisis because of it."

"Ummm...maybe...maybe you're wrong, Rainbow...if that's okay..."

"What in tarnation are you all arguing about?"

The five friends, who had turned into a whirlwind of conversation, turned to the doorway of the library where Applejack stood, a dumbfounded look on her face. Rainbow Dash seemed relieved to see her.

"AJ! Finally, a pony that I can reason with. Come here and let me tell you something I remembered from flight school."

Rarity made a disgusted sound and took a sip of her tea.

"Honestly, I don't see why a silly story like that has got you all hyped up, Rainbow Dash. It's a story that the griffons use to scare their children into being good. You said so yourself."

Dash bristled and whirled around to face Rarity.

"Well, yeah, duh! But that doesn't mean he isn't the _basis_ for the story! Come on, Rare, even you have to admit that if the shoe fits wear it...and you're the biggest gossip in town. I would have thought something like this was right up your alley."

Rarity slammed her hoof onto the table, making them all jump. Her glare could have melted steel.

"It's a silly story! Even if it was true, it wouldn't change my opinion of him. He saved us all from a sure death and I, for one, am appreciative enough to stay out of his past if he doesn't want to talk about it."

Pinkie Pie uprighted her tea cup and hummed to herself.

"Maybe he's not telling because nopony has asked him? Has anyone asked him?"

Twilight perked up and turned to Rainbow Dash.

"Good question. Have you tried asking him yet? Politely?"

Rainbow seemed somewhat annoyed and affronted by the question.

"Well, yeah, I've thought of asking him. But don't you remember what he did to AJ when we kept hounding him about why he was called a hero? He timed shutting his door so it would hit her just on the end of her nose."

Applejack rubbed her nose tenderly at that memory. They had all been a bit too persistent in following Naruto back home and she'd paid the price for it, having literally been on his heels as he went inside. While more surprising than harmful, the door slamming had led to some colorful language on her part and a talking-to from Rarity on proper lady-like etiquette. It had not been her day that day.

"What exactly are we talking about and how does it concern my worker?"

Rainbow turned to Applejack, her eyes nearly pleading.

"Look, I just want you to listen to me before you call me crazy like the rest of them did, okay? Promise me that?"

Applejack nodded her head without a second thought.

"Okay, Rainbow. I'll listen. But this better be good."

The cyan mare took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Alright, just listen. Back when I was in flight school, I met Gilda. You remember her right? The Griffon? Yeah...anyway, we were up late one night and telling scary stories and she told us about the Griffon's Bane."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow and leaned back a bit, trying the name out on her tongue.

"Griffon's Bane?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged.

"I didn't make the name up. Anyway, she told us that the Griffon's Bane was an Earth pony, a colt to be exact. Orange coat, blue eyes, yellow mane. Stronger than a manticore. When little Griffons are bad, he sneaks into their rooms at night and steals their wings. Rips them right off at the base."

"And why would he do that?"

"Because he's jealous of their ability to fly. He steals the wings and tries to make them work for himself. But he's never found a pair that works for him yet so he keeps coming to take the bad kids' wings."

"And he's got an orange coat, blue eyes, and a yellow mane?"

"Yep. And when he steals the wings, she said his eyes turn golden and glow."

"You know Naruto's a full grown stallion and not a colt, right?"

"Well yeah, but that's not the important thing. The time the story started is what's important. She said that the story originated at least over a decade ago. We were in flight school around that time. Probably older than that, but it would put it right around the time Naruto was in the military."

Applejack shut one eye in thought and rolled the other around to look at her friends. The rest all looked skeptical, but Rainbow just looked like she wanted someone to believe her.

"I dunno, Rainbow. I mean, yeah, you described Naruto to a 'T', but it would be hard for him to steal wings from Griffons. They live in some high places and he can't walk on clouds so he couldn't go to any cloud cities."

Rainbow scoffed and waved her hoof dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. The story about the Griffon's Bane isn't what's important here, AJ. It's the fact that they're so specific about the pony that does it. If he's the basis for a scary story, what did he do to become the basis? That's what I want to know. I want to know what happened."

Pinkie Pie decided she'd been silent long enough.

"But Dashie, he's a hero. They don't call you a hero for nothing. He must have done something brave and good."

The others nodded and Rainbow's head sank a little bit.

"Well, the griffons don't think he's a hero. In fact, they're terrified of him. Didn't you read the article? The Griffon delegation was extremely nervous when they saw him. A fairytale shouldn't affect adults like that. Naruto did something to make an entire kingdom hate him."

"Um...well, Twilight said she did a bit of reading up on that. Maybe she could tell us...if that's okay with her..."

Twilight was already digging through the pile of old newspapers she had to find the article about the Griffon Crisis. It had a front page picture of Naruto as a colt, standing at attention in his armor. She read the article aloud to the rest.

**Griffons Routed at Fort Yoke**

**Crisis Averted by Young Private**

_Not a month after our dear Princess Celestia had signed a non-agression treaty with the King of hte Griffons, guerilla warfare broke out on both sides by those opposing the pact. Ponies caught violating the terms of the treaty have been dealt with in a manner befitting traitors of the Equestrian Kingdom, but the Griffons have held an aloof stance on such things._

_A band of over twenty Griffon guerillas snuck into Fort Yoke on the Northern border at night and took over the entire fort, killing the commanding officer and several soldiers on duty. The rest of the battallion escaped into the nearby woods to regroup, call for backup, and plan a counterattack._

_The remaining soldiers, tired and outmanned, waited for either an opening or reinforcements to arrive to retake the fort. At some point in the night, the soldiers said that Private Naruto disappeared from the camp and by morning had cleared the Griffons out of the fort single-hoovedly. No details were released to the press of how exactly one pony, let alone a colt, managed to defeat all of the guerillas._

_The captured Griffons were extradited to the Griffon kingdom and were awaiting trial as of press time._

_Private Naruto is the youngest pony to ever join the Equestrian military in the history of the country. He was sponsored by Captain Starshine of the Celestial Guard and is a protege of the Captain. His records are sealed as he is underage and a ward of the state._

_Nevertheless, Private Naruto is a hero for his service to Equestria. Perhaps one day this paper will get the real story of what happened inside the fort, but until then the Equestrian military has considered the matter closed. _

Twilight looked up from the paper she had spread over the table to find all her friends looking over her shoulder. She wrinkled her nose and folded the paper back up. She hated it when ponies read over her shoulder. Rarity sighed.

"Well, that was less than informative."

"The Equestrian military does a good job of keeping sensitive information out of the public spotlight."

Rainbow grunted and pawed at the floor.

"It didn't say what happened in the fort. I bet it was something bad. Wish I knew what happened."

Applejack shrugged. She was curious too, but information was not fortchcoming at the moment.

"You know what they say, Rainbow. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. Now, whatsay we all go get something to eat? I'm starved."

* * *

Naruto chewed on an apple slowly as he and Mac relaxed on the porch, watching the Crusaders scurry about the orchard trying to get their Cutie Marks in tree related activities.

"You know, they'd probably find their marks if they focused on what they were actually good at instead of treating it as a group activity."

Mac rolled his grass stalk around in his mouth and sucked in a bit of air.

"Eeyup."

They sat in silence for a few moments more before Naruto tossed the apple core as hard as he could toward the tree the girls were trying to climb. It splatted against the trunk making them all shriek and look at him with wide eyes.

"Find a safer activity, girls. I don't want y'all getting hurt."

They nodded as one and whisked themselves into the barn, away from his throwing arm. Mac chuckled to himself.

"'Y'all' huh? You're sounding more and more like an Apple every day."

Naruto snorted and gave him a sidelong glance.

"It's only because I hang around you hicks every day. Perhaps I should begin speaking in a Canterlotian accent again?"

"Only if ya want to have my horseshoe imprinted on yer forehead."

"Ouch. Such a violent threat. You country ponies are so uncouth."

"And you city ponies have sticks shoved so far up yer asses that you fart sawdust."

The two glared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter and settling into silence again.

"I'm gonna help Fluttershy out with some of her animals tomorrow morning. I'll catch up with my chores that evening. Work late if I have to."

Mac quirked an eyebrow and gave Naruto a blank stare. The orange pony knew that look.

"It doesn't mean anything, Macintosh, so don't give me that look. I promised I'd help her and I don't like to break a promise, especially for something so simple. Not like you can't function without me for a few hours."

"AJ's gonna be pissed that yer skipping out on work."

"She's pissed at me all the time nowadays anyway. She's mad because I won't tell her why they called me a hero."

Mac sat in contemplative silence for a moment before asking the obvious question.

"Why did they call you a hero, Naruto?"

Naruto sighed and his shoulders slumped slightly. The Crusaders were stampeding toward the porch and he didn't want to tell Mac anyway, so they were a good diversion.

"It's because I did something that I'm not proud of. I can't tell you with the girls in earshot. Maybe another time. Hey! You three wipe your hooves before going in the house! You weren't raised in a barn!"

"Actually I was!"

"You know exactly what I mean, Applebloom!"

* * *

Naruto liked walking through the woods early in the morning. It was peaceful, the dew made his steps much softer, and the air just seemed cleaner and fresher. The nocturnal animals were turning in and the rest were just waking up. Early morning was a busy time if you knew what to look and listen for.

Being a large pony, his steps weren't as quiet as most, but he had been trained on how to purposefully walk to be able to sneak around. Sometimes to keep his skills sharp, he would sneak up on unsuspecting animals, just to see how close he could get before they'd notice him. Quite often, he got close enough that he towered over them.

But espionage was never his strong suit anyway. He was a tank. Point out the target and he'll bulldoze through it.

Leaves wet with dew just barely crunched as he plodded along, not particularly in a hurry to get to Fluttershy's. He didn't know when she woke up and got started so he figured he'd just wander around a bit, get used to the woods around her house. If it weren't for Applejack pointing him in the right direction, he'd have never known where to go. Fluttershy hadn't even told him where she lived.

He looked upward through the branches as the first rays of Celestia's sun broke through the boughs, sending a cascade of light glittering throughout the small clearing he was in. A fish jumped in the creek he was near and a squirrel chattered in the tree above him. He rolled an eye up when the squirrel began its chirping bark at him and gave the tree a little thump with his back hoof.

It shut the little bugger up for all of three seconds before it threw a nut at him in retaliation. Naruto chuckled and continued on his way. He hoped that Fluttershy's animals weren't all so grumpy in the morning.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xx

He was almost uncertain that he had found her house as he walked into a sun-bathed yard with animals of all shape and size milling about. If not for the windows and door, he'd have assumed it was just a hill. Such a novel little house. As one all of the animals turned to look at him and ignored him just as quickly. He quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Surely these creatures weren't that domesticated, were they?

He cantered over the small bridge built over the creek he had followed to get there, careful not to step too hard lest his weight break it. Fluttershy didn't weigh near as much as he did after all. He took a deep breath as he stood in front of the door, prepared himself mentally for whatever task she may have for him, and knocked gently on the door.

After several moments, he knocked again. Then a third time. He glanced up at the sun with a wince. Surely she didn't sleep this late? She just didn't seem the type. And that was a strange cloud that the Pegaus ponies had conjured up. He didn't remember a forecast of rain. He rapped on the door a bit harder and called out.

"Miss Fluttershy? It's Naruto. I've come to help you today."

He still recieved no answer. He was starting to worry now. Shy she may be, but Fluttershy just didn't have it in her to be rude that he had seen.

"Miss Fluttershy? I'm coming in."

He eased the door open slowly, the brass hinges creaking a bit as he pushed on the oaken slab. His eyes adjusted to the dimmer light of the interior of her home and he called out again.

"Fluttershy?"

White assaulted his vision as something small and light and white attached itself to his face and began to pound away at his forehead. Amusing, for Naruto at least, he didn't even budge and whatever was trying to beat him up wasn't enough of a threat to do anything other than give him a small migraine. With a quick flip of his head, he sent whatever had tried to start a fight with him skyward. It twirled in the air for a moment, legs pinwheeling over each other, before he snatched it out of its flight with his mouth.

He gave it a once over and blinked when he realized he had a small rabbit held by the nape of its neck. It struggled mightily to free itself from his jaws before slumping in defeat. Naruto's blue eyes went half-lidded. This must be the infamous Angel Bunny, Fluttershy's insufferable little pet that he had heard about from Applejack.

"If I let you down are you gonna be a good boy?"

All he got in return was an upturned nose and crossed forelegs.

"I could always pitch you out the window. Your owner doesn't seem to be here to stop me."

Angel struggled again, lashing out with his back legs in a losing effort to kick Naruto. He bristled when Naruto chuckled.

"You know, I think Fluttershy spoils you too much, little guy. You're lucky I'm not around to make sure you get disciplined."

He sat Angel down on the floor and as soon as his teeth relinquished their hold, the rabbit was thumping his hoof with its foot and pointing to the door.

"You want me to go outside?"

More thumps against his hoof and more insistent pointing.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Fluttershy obviously isn't in now anyway. Guess she forgot I was coming."

Angel bolted past him and out the door, pointing vigourously at the sky. Naruto poked his head out of the door and looked up. That dark cloud he'd seen earlier wasn't looking much like a cloud now that he actually looked at it.

"Is that...smoke?"

He stepped outside and turned to look over the roof of the cottage, toward a mountain range where the smoke was originating from. Angel thumped his hoof again and Naruto closed his eyes, already dreading the answer.

"Just nod if the answer is 'yes', Angel. Did she and the rest of the Elements go to investigate the smoke?"

Angel Bunny nodded his head quickly and Naruto sighed.

"How am I always late to these things? It's not even that late in the morning..."

He started to gallop off toward the mountain, but stopped and turned back to Angel.

"Um...thanks for telling me where they went, little guy. But you ever attack me again like you did earlier and I'll dump you in the creek next time. You need to learn some manners."

Angel watched the large orange pony dart off and hopped back into the house. He kind of hoped that that pony wouldn't make it back. Too bad he couldn't speak the pony language. He might have warned him about the dragon...

Probably not though. No one threatened him ever...

* * *

Naruto pounded away at the dirt on his way to the base of the mountain. He had no idea how far behind them he was this time. He'd spent a lot more time in the woods than he had thought, just wandering around enjoying himself. If the girls had started out ahead of him a couple of hours ago, then they might already be halfway up the mountain.

The vibrations his running put out gave the smaller creatures enough warning to get out of his path and he thought he had even seen a bear dive aside once. He was in no mood to be trifled with and when he caught up to the six mares he was going to read them the riot act.

How could they be so stupid as to leave without letting him know? He thought Applejack out of all of them was more level-headed than that! She should have known better. And Fluttershy knew he was coming. She could have waited for him.

He'd had to go through town on his way to the mountain and had run across Spike, who was headed to Fluttershy's house to watch her animals. The little dragon had told him that the smoke was coming from a dragon that was taking a nap and Celestia had written Twilight to inform her that they needed to convince the dragon to move on.

He'd stood gobsmacked for a few moments. Had Celestia gone mad? One didn't just _ask_ a dragon to move! They didn't care about the welfare of other beings! They were dragons. He was sure there were dragons older than Celestia. Some had been around since Discord's rule. And they were the biggest creatures outside of an Ursa Major. One of the few creatures that could take on an Ursa Major.

Luckily for most creatures, they were incredibly lazy and prone to inactivity if left alone. It was wiser to move yourself than to try to move a dragon if one settled near you. After all, you can't move if you've been eaten.

Spike had nearly been knocked off his feet as Naruto rushed past in his mad dash to the mountain and now he stood at the base where the path ended. He could tell that they'd been there, there were hoofprints everywhere...and what looked like a skid from where somepony had been dragged away. Had one of them been hurt already? He decided to follow the drag mark for the moment, just to make sure.

* * *

A half hour later, he stood just a few hundred feet above where he'd started and he was mightily puzzled. The drag mark ended where he stood and there were tic-tac-toe games scratched everywhere in the dirt.

What in the name of Celestia were those mares doing?

Confusion not-withstanding, he opted to just follow the hoofprints back onto the path at a healthy pace. He had to catch up to them before something bad happened. The sun glinted into his eyes as he looked up, trying to see if perhaps they were above him. No such luck. Deciding to forego the path, he tried to scale the side of the mountain itself but it was too slick and he could find nothing to plant his hooves on. And with no momentum to build up a leap, he was stuck following the path.

It got narrower in some places and he had to be very careful, his bulk working against him. He simply couldn't squeeze by like the girls could and in one place he had to lean against the cliffside and shimmy sideways, his back pressed against the rock. He was making time though and he was already halfway up the mountain. That's when the shit hit the fan.

One of the girls had screamed 'Avalanche', the word echoing down the mountainside, and soon enough the rocks inevitably followed suit. Naruto pressed himself into a crevice to avoid being knocked off the path and waited it out. Rocks and boulders of all sides crashed down around him but he managed to stay safe He could only hope that the girls had not been hurt. After a few seconds of no falling rocks, he poked his head out to check things out. Finding nothing else wrong, he ran as fast as he could up the path.

He was more determined than ever to catch them. It was Nightmare Moon all over again.

* * *

Fluttershy was utterly ashamed of herself. She was such a coward and right now proved it more than ever. She'd been afraid to tell her friends of her crippling fear of dragons before they started and now, when they needed her gift with animals the most, she absolutely refused to help. A small tear fell unbidden from her eye as she cowered behind the small rock outcrop.

She could hear Rainbow's wings beating rhythmically overhead, the sound of Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie chatting amongst themselves. A billow of smoke came rushing past and Twilight emerged from the cave, coughing and hacking. Rainbow landed beside her, scowling.

"So much for persuading him!"

"Well, now what do we do?"

Applejack's question was essentially the only thing on everyone else's minds. They all sat in contemplation for a moment before Rarity fluffed her mane and tail and cantered into the cave.

"What this situation calls for is some pony charm. Sit tight, ladies, I shall return shortly."

Fluttershy sighed and hunkered down again. Why couldn't they understand that dragons simply were not to be trifled with? You didn't persuade dragons, you didn't charm dragons...had they never read folklore before? Surely Twilight had, prodigous in the use of books as she was. Dragons were incredibly selfish and only looked out for themselves.

Not a few moments later a shriek emanated from the cave and Rarity rushed out, flustered beyond belief. After patting herself down and finding no injuries, a sour look crossed her face and she slumped down on top of a small boulder.

"I was _this_ close to getting that diamond..."

"You mean 'getting rid of the dragon'?"

Rarity looked up at Twilight's glaring eyes before averting her own gaze.

"Oh. Um...yeah...sure..."

A loud bleating noise broke the tension and Fluttershy poked her head back around her rock, only to sigh. Pinkie Pie was dressed up as a present, holding a whistle in her mouth, and had on swimming flippers for some reason. She merely shook her head and settled back down again. The only thing her friends were going to accomplish was making the dragon mad.

"Darling, you look ridiculous!"

"Exactly! Sharing a laugh is a surefire way of getting someone on your side!"

Pinkie wandered into the cave, calling out 'Hi' as she disappeared further in. The only sound after that was the sound of popping ballons, a rumble, and a low growl. Pinkie emerged without her costume and with only two flippers.

"Guess he's not a fan of laughter..."

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and hovered above them.

"That's it! We've tried persuasion, charm...whatever it is Pinkie Pie does! It's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!"

The others all called out for her to stop, but Fluttershy's gaze was fixated on the orange cannonball that had rocketed past her and was currently falling from the sky. They hadn't heard his declaration, his shout having mixed with that of Rainbow's nearly perfectly.

* * *

"That's it!"

Naruto had had enough. He was tired of winding his way around the mountain and decided that the plateau he was on gave him enough of a running start to make the leap to the final ledge where the dragon's cave was sure to be. He could barely hear the sound of the girls arguing, but he knew where they were finally and since they didn't seem to be in a panic, nothing had gone wrong yet.

He bunched his muscles and stepped back to the very edge of the small precipice he was on before running and jumping like a spring had been coiled beneath him. He soared into the air and shot past the edge, angling himself so he'd land just outside of the mouth of the cave. He reached the apex of his jump and began his descent, readying himself for touchdown.

The girls all screamed when he hit the ground and leapt back away from him. Naruto shook the dirt from his mane and turned around to yell at them about their recklessness when an earthshattering roar spilled from the cave and Rainbow Dash came rolling toward him like a bowling ball. She crashed into his forelegs and lay there, looking up at him with her big magenta eyes. Naruto was about to lay into her as well when he noticed the light glint off of some huge eyes in the cave.

"Move!"

He knocked Rainbow to the side quickly, her small frame easily sent flying, just as the drgaon's arm slammed down onto the ground outside the cavern. It's head followed suit and it glared down at Naruto. The orange pony squared his shoulders and bared his teeth, his ears laid flat against his skull.

"You better think twice before coming out of that cave, bub. I'm not in the mood to play today."

The dragon's eyes narrowed and it huffed, smoke billowing from its nostrils. Its gaze was calculating and there was a cold intelligence behind those slitted golden orbs. It blinked once and leaned forward, dragging a bit of itself outside. It's voice was booming and seemed to carry forever.

"**You think to challenge me, little one? The rainbow colored one has already kicked me and I am in a foul mood. I thought I had made myself clear to the first three that I did not wish to be disturbed."**

"You're in Equestria, dragon, and therefore you are in the territory of Princess Celestia. She has decreed that you are to move and find a place elsewhere to sleep."

"**Your princess holds no sway over where I sleep, pony."**

Naruto ground his teeth, his blue eyed glare intensifying.

"Do not disrespect the Princess!"

The dragon regarded him with disdain before its eyes went half-lidded and it nodded to itself, almost approvingly.

"**You. Little orange pony. You are the one known as the Griffon's Bane, aren't you?"**

Naruto scowled at the dragon and its mouth curled into the tiniest of grins.

"**Yes, I thought so. Your silence says everything, as does your body language. Let me tell you something, little pony. Dragons are one of the longest lived creatures on our shared planet. My species are not great in number and we dislike being around each other as a rule, migration notwithstanding. But those of us that live long enough learn to listen to the prattling of the smaller things."**

The dragon pulled itself all the way out of the hole and stood to its full height, cracking its back and neck before leaning back down to regard Naruto closer.

"**And what I learned from the griffons is that a certain pony is their worst nightmare. Not that stupid fairy tale they started about you, oh no no no. The truth is always much more fascinating, isn't it, Griffon's Bane?"**

Naruto just kept glowering at the dragon while its grin kept getting larger and larger. He had almost had enough when he heard Rainbow Dash pipe up.

"I've heard that name. So, you _are_ the Griffon's Bane. Why do they call you that?"

Naruto turned and frowned at her while keeping one eye on the dragon and keeping himself between the girls and their current predicament.

"Can't this wait, Rainbow? We're kind of busy here."

"**Busy? Oh, I think we've got some time. They call him the Griffon's Bane because he ripped the wings off of those griffons all those years ago. Quite a feat for so young a pony. Honestly, I'm impressed. Such cruelty is almost unheard of in ponies. You would have made a fine dragon."**

Naruto winced when the girls all gasped. He might not have any friends or a job after this. He looked back to the dragon and his face went blank. He was in full on Lieutenant mode now.

"Naruto, is it true?"

"Not now, Applejack. Be quiet."

"Now you listen here! I..."

He rounded on her, his eyes seeming to glow.

"I said be quiet!"

The girls all fell silent, shocked that he would speak to them in such a way. He was always so polite and gentle that it was literally a shock to see him act the way he was. Assured that they would be still for now, he locked eyes with the dragon once more.

"**You have an...aura about you, little one. You're not an ordinary pony. It's making my fins stand on end. It's like facing another dragon...I don't like it."**

Naruto just stood there silent for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Tell me, _wyrm_, what did Rainbow Dash do to you to get you off your gem bed?"

The dragon leaned down closer to Naruto, his nostrils blowing smoke all around the earth pony, and growled.

"**Do not call me 'wyrm', little pony, or it could mean the death of you. I despise that term. And the rainbow one kicked me in my nose."**

"Like this?"

Before anyone could stop him, Naruto had spun around and bucked the dragon's nose as hard as he could, lifting the creature's head up to normal height and making it roar in anguish. The girls screamed and ran for shelter when the dragon's foot nearly stomped them all flat. Naruto reared up and slammed his hooves onto the index claw, snapping it in two.

The dragon roared again and flopped down onto its stomach, squashing Naruto beneath it. It laid there for a moment, grinding its stomach into the ground, before smirking smugly. A pony versus a dragon? Ridiculous. Now he had some others to eat for a nice snack, starting with that rainbow one. Before he could move however, he felt something bite into his belly. With a flap of his wings he rose into the sky to reveal Naruto hanging off of him by his teeth, like a bulldog, his coat filthy from being squashed flat. The pony let go of the scales and spat on the ground.

"Ugh, you taste horrible. No wonder ponies are vegetarians."

"**On the other hand, ponies taste delicious! No wonder dragons are carnivores!"**

The dragon slammed its claws down on the ground againNaruto avoided them by leaping onto and running up its arm. When he reached shoulder height, he leapt and delivered a flying kick right to the dragon's mouth, knocking one of its fangs right out. He landed on the ground and lowered himself to move quickly.

"Let's see you eat one when I knock all your teeth out!"

Before he could even move, the dragon's tail whipped around and slammed into him hard, sending him smashing against the stone that Fluttershy was still hiding behind. The large boulder cracked and splintered on impact, revealing the yellow mare, who screamed. The dragon continued to grind Naruto into the stone, compacting him with the hard tail as the soft stomach could not.

"**Are those ribs I feel cracking, little pony, or is that the stone behind you? Your spine maybe? I'll grow that claw and that tooth back. Can you grow back a spine?"**

Naruto ground his teeth. One or two of his ribs were surely cracked. He could feel the bruise forming already. He managed to slip his forelegs out of the bind they were in and grabbed the dragon's tail between them.

"I bet the vertebrae in your tail aren't as solid as you wish they were!"

With a violent wrench, he twisted the spaded tail and the sound of bones popping and creaking could be heard. A high pitched scream tore throughout the valley surrounding the mountain as the dragon's tail went limp.

"**My tail! You broke my tail!"**

Naruto coughed up a little blood and took a couple of shallow breaths. Yep, definitely some ribs cracked at least. Maybe broken.

"If you would have just left when asked, none of this would have happened!"

"**I go where I please! And when I'm done with you, they're next!"**

The dragon snatched Naruto up with his good hand and brought him up to face level, the two glaring at each other with much hatred.

"How dare you. HOW DARE YOU!"

Shocked, both the dragon and Naruto turned to look at a now furious and fast approaching Fluttershy, her wings beating harshly against the sky. She landed on the dragon's snout, forcing it to cross its eyes to see her.

"Listen here, mister! Just because you're big, doesn't mean you get to be a bully! You might breathe smoke and snort fire and be strong, but you do not, I repeat, YOU DO NOT HURT MY FRIENDS! You got that?"

The dragon and Naruto sat stunned for a moment before the big golden eyes swung to the pony held in their grip.

"**...but the rainbow one kicked me...and the orange one...my tail..."**

Fluttershy nodded.

"And I am very sorry about that. But you're bigger than her and you should know better. And he..."

"Um...Fluttershy..."

"_Hush. You're not making things better._"

Naruto chocked back what he was going to say when she turned her gaze on him. It wasn't like the last time. She was genuinely mad at him and her ire was focused without doubt this time. Her eyes glinted with anger and disappointment before she turned back to the dragon, her patented stare in full force.

"Now, listen. You know better than to sleep where your breathing can harm other creatures. You said it yourself that you're old enough. Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

Feeling very small under the much tinier pony's glare, the dragon stuttered.

"**But...but I..."**

"Don't you 'but I' me, mister. I asked, WHAT do you have to say for yourself?"

The dragon's lips quivered for a moment and, just for that moment, Naruto thought it was going to cry. It sniffled and tears formed and he had to resist the urge to punch the overgrown lizard to preserve its dignity. Fluttershy patted it on the nose and began to descend.

"Now, now, don't cry. You're not a bad dragon, you just made a bad decision. Now, put down the pony and go pack your things. You need to find another place to sleep."

The dragon looked down at Naruto and, with a wicked grin, decided to get one last dig in. It just let go and let him plummet toward the ground. Naruto hit hard, aggravating his ribs further, and grunted as the dragon lumbered back inside the cave. He took a couple of deep breaths and regained his bearings just in time to realize he was surrounded. Rarity took a step forward, looking very meek and unsure.

"Are you...are you alright?"

Naruto winced and stood up slowly.

"Not really. I might have a couple of cracked and bruised ribs. Nothing major though. I'll be fine in a few days. I've always healed abnormally fast. Do any of you have any tape for my ribs?"

He sighed when he saw the headshakes all around. Rarity shook her head as well, but then cocked it to the side.

"I have a scarf or two. Would that suffice?"

"It'll have to do until we get back to Ponyville. Just make sure to tie it tight so that I don't mess them up further."

The others watched as Rarity tied the scarves around his ribs gently, his wincing and hissing the only sound made. Finally, Rainbow could take it no more.

"So you really did it. You ripped the wings off of those griffons that attacked the fort. Why would you do something so horrible?"

Naruto sighed and sat down on his haunches, his head hanging low.

"Can't this wait until we get home?"

Applejack lifted her hoof and slammed it down.

"No, it can't. You've been avoiding the subject for weeks. Now we know that you are and we know why, but not the how. Spill it, Naruto. We ain't going anywhere til ya do."

Naruto sighed and looked away, out towards the town, where the black smoke still permeated the air.

"Fine. Might as well since that dragon decided to let the cat out of the bag. Yes, I tore off the wings of a griffon. One griffon, not all of them. I'm not proud of it. I cried after I did it. I was angry when I did it. Anger makes you do stupid things. Youth makes you do stupid things."

He bit his lip and winced when Rarity pulled on the end of the scarf, tugging just a little too hard for his taste.

"Rainbow, do you remember when I said that I fell asleep on duty one time and some bandits got past me?"

Rainbow nodded solemnly and spoke.

"They weren't bandits. They were griffons."

Naruto nodded. There was no need to state it as a question. She already knew.

"Yeah. They snuck into the fort on my watch and killed several of my comrades and my commanding officer. He had two little foals at home. He was a good stallion, strong and firm, but kind. He reminded me of Captain Starshine, just younger. He would always talk about his kids during downtime, how he missed them, how he couldn't wait for his tour to be over so he could go back home and see them. Those griffons ruined his chance of seeing them again. They destroyed that stallion's life. They took those kids' father away from them. Stole a husband from a wife."

The girls all looked away from him, seeing how painful it was for him to admit it.

"I hated them. We had to fall back, a small band of us, to the forest and wait for reinforcements. We sent our swiftest runner out, the one who hadn't been killed. I kept berating myself for letting them past, but the Sergeant kept telling me that they would have gotten through anyway, don't beat myself up about it. But it was my watch! My responsibility!"

They all jumped when he yelled and he looked back down at the dirt, tracing it with his hoof.

"It was my fault good stallions died. It was my fault that those kids had no father. It was my fault that his wife was now a widow. He was a good stallion. It should have been me. I was the one who fell asleep. Why did he have to die because of my mistake? I couldn't handle the guilt. I snuck off during the night. They probably thought I had deserted."

He paused again and heaved a huge sigh.

"I walked right up to the front gate and pushed it open. Stupidest way to get in right? I could hear them carousing on the other side about their victory. They had a couple of sentries in the watch towers, but no one was watching the main gate. There was a trick to lift the latch from the outside if you ever found yourself locked out, but it took four normal ponies to accomplish. I was strong enough to do it by myself. I snuck in and got behind the sentry in the east watchtower."

They were all listening intently now.

"I slammed my hooves into his temple and knocked him out cold, then I hogtied him and wrapped his beak with tape so he couldn't call for help. He was the easy one. They got more difficult from there. One by one, I took them all out. The last five were in a group and I beat them mercilessly. I nearly killed them. I wasn't holding back. I was seeing red. I lined them all up in the courtyard in a row and I went and got the bodies of my comrades and lined them up one by one, including my Captain. I made damn sure that they saw his face."

He began to breathe a little heavily as he remembered one of the most horrific scenes in his life.

"I said to them 'Look! Look at what you've done! He had a family. He had two kids! A wife! And you killed him because you didn't like a treaty? A stupid treaty! I'm going to show you what happens when you mess with the Equestrian military, when you mess with people I care about! You think we ponies are soft as feathers, don't you? I'll fix that problem. We'll see what happens when you don't have feathers period!"

Fluttershy gasped and put her hooves over her mouth. Naruto refused to look at her.

"I pulled the feathers off the leader one feather at a time and each time I did I made sure that they knew why. Then I went down the line and pulled the feathers off each of their wings. I wasn't going to kill them. I couldn't do that. That's what they had done. Instead, I was taking something from them, something they held dear. I took flight from them. By the time I got to the last feather, I was sobbing and shaking and bloody. But I still had one thing left to do. I ripped the leader's wings right off his back. He screamed. I felt terrified. What had I done? I wasn't any better than them."

He choked a little bit and closed his eyes.

"I went outside in the morning after I'd buried our fallen comrades and told the rest of my platoon that I'd settled the matter. Not long after that, the reinforcements showed up and we retook the fort officially. They called me a hero for what I had done, but I felt awful. I started to feel a little better when they told me that the griffons deserved it...until Captain Starshine arrived."

He let out a hollow chuckle that made Pinkie Pie cringe.

"When he heard and saw what I'd done, he beat me all across that fort, cursing at me the whole way. He told me that what I'd done was not what I'd been taught, that ponies didn't take revenge that way! And after he finished turning me black and blue and left me a sobbing mess, he sat down and pulled me into an embrace. I was so young, barely out of my foal years, and here I had done this horrible, terrible thing."

Rarity bit her lip to stem her tears and looked at Twilight and Applejack, who looked utterly lost.

"He told me not to buy into the hero business. Heroes always show up late after all the bad stuff has gone down and all they do is clean up. Soldiers are there to make sure the bad stuff never happens. Ponies view us as barbaric at times, and my little stunt wouldn't help, but soldiers do dirty things so civilians don't have to. Soldiers put their lives and honor on the line so civilians don't have to. Soldiers die so civilians don't have to."

He looked up and stared right into Applejack's eyes, his blue irises burning with conviction.

"He told me I was a good soldier. I'd done alone what would have taken a seige to do. I had done my duty, but heroes don't factor into the equation. Everything I'd ever trained for, studied for, had led to that moment and I performed like a soldier of Equestria. He was proud of me as a soldier, but sad that I was so young and had done such a shameful thing. I stole my own innocence."

He chuckled again and cut his eyes to Rainbow Dash.

"And you know what? His disappointment hurt me more than his blows ever did. I was so ashamed of myself. Why had I done that? It wasn't like I'd gone and killed them. No, I'd taken the time to take something from them. Something precious. Just like they'd taken something precious from my commander's family. I took their leader's wings and made them fear me. And that's when Starshine revealed what it was that was bothering me. I wanted them to feel pain."

His smoldering glare was lost on them as he stared into the dirt.

"I wanted them to feel the pain of loss. For some reason, that struck a resonance in me, like deja vu. It was like I'd heard it before, from someone else, in another lifetime maybe. I made them feel the pain of losing something dear. I wanted them to understand that pain. And once I understood what I had done, I was repulsed with myself. That wasn't me. It wasn't what I'd been taught. But I couldn't help a small part of me that felt vindicated in what I'd done."

He sighed one last time and looked up, catching the gaze of all of them.

"It was not a proud moment for me. It was revenge for my commander, delivered by me. The griffon attacks ceased after we released the prisoners back to the griffon kingdom and they started the fairy tale of the Griffon's Bane. I became something of a recognized figure amongst the military and a symbol of fear for griffons. And I will not apologize for that."

His lips set into a hard grimace, he caught the eyes of all the mares.

"I did what I did and I'm not proud of it. I beat myself up over it. I was beaten for it. I was called a hero. I was called a villain. I did a horrible, horrible thing, but good things came out of it for my country. I personally ensured that the commander's family was given every bit they deserved. I never met them personally, but I always made sure that they never wanted for anything. I've done my best to make amends."

Twilight's mind was racing. She knew she had lived a sheltered life in the castle. Was this what her brother dealt with? The fighting, the blood, the feeling of...of...helplessness? Of pride?

"But...but the griffons..."

"Inadvertantly, I saved their lives by what I did. Had we retaken that fort with reinforcements they would have all been slaughtered. By doing a cruel thing, I spared their lives. It doesn't make what I did any less horrible, but they lived to see another day."

"Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night? You took that griffon's wings! You took flight from him! You took flight from all of them! Do you know how long it takes to grow feathers back?"

Naruto swung around to face Rainbow Dash, glaring blue meeting glaring magenta. Before either one could speak another word, the ground shook and the dragon emerged again.

"**I'm old, rainbow pony, and dragons do not share the same notion of honor that you do. To us, sparing the life of an enemy is shameful. You ponies always held life as more sacred above all. Did he not leave them alive?"**

"Well...yes...but..."

"**Then I fail to see your issue with what he has done."**

"He stole their gift of flight!"

"**And they stole life from his comrades. I consider that a fair trade. Now get out of my way."**

They all watched as he beat his wings and rose into the air slowly, before soaring off in an undulating fashion. Rainbow watched him go and returned her glare to Naruto, who glared back just as fiercely.

"Now, can we get off this goddamn moutain? My ribs are killing me and it's getting dark."

* * *

Naruto separated from the girls when they got back to town, giving Rarity her scarves back and heading off to the doctor's to get properly bandaged up. Once he was all fixed up and had listened to Nurse Redheart badger him about his irresponsibility with his body, he headed home. At least, he hoped it was still his home. He might not have a home or a job now.

His pace was slowed and by the time he arrived back at the house it was past dark. He didn't want to have to explain what had happened that day anyway. He just wanted to sleep. His door creaked open and he laid down gingerly on the bed. He sighed and closed his eyes. This might be his last night in this bed.

His eyes couldn't have possibly been closed for long before he heard his doorhinges creak once more and it took everything he had not to sigh. Soft hoofsteps came just within his bed and a muffled thump signified that whoever was in there with him had sat down. He cracked one eye open and looked at the silhouette, a hat framed against the bright moon.

Applejack sighed and looked out the window.

"I don't hate ya, Naruto. I want you to know that. None of us do. We all talked about it while you were at the doctor's. We were just all shocked that ya actually did what ya did back then. What ya did was brutal and merciless. But I got to thinking about it and if that would have been Mac or Granny or, Celestia forbid, Applebloom...I'm not sure that I wouldn't have ripped their wings off myself. I just can't say what I personally would have done...and neither can the rest of the girls."

She looked up to find the moon glinting off his blue eyes, the only thing shining in the room besides that gem around his neck, but he didn't speak. She sighed. He probably felt he'd said enough that day.

"It weren't right of us to judge ya like that. And it weren't right of us to badger you like we did all this time. You said you weren't proud of what ya did and that should have been enough for us all. I got to thinking about it and you were just a few years older than Applebloom when ya did that. It must have been so hard for ya...growing up like ya did...doing some of the things you did...I don't even want to know what all you did now..."

Her lips quivered a bit when he still didn't answer. She hated silence, especially when she was admitting fault.

"Look, I ain't no good at apologies...so...I'm sorry. I know there's some things that you want to keep in the past and I won't bother you about that anymore. Lord knows that you don't bug me about my past. And it didn't help none our prides none to be told to leave you alone by a dragon that you'd just fought on account of us. I just want you to know that you'll always have a home here and...well, I'm sorry."

"AJ..."

She looked up into his eyes hopefully.

"Yeah?"

"You really suck at apologizing,"

He smiled when her cheeks puffed out and she growled.

"Especially when there was nothing to apologize for to begin with."

And just like that the anger was gone, replaced by confusion.

"Applejack, I made my peace with what I did a long time ago. I had to look at myself in the mirror for a long time after that and try not to feel dirty and like a monster. I've worked past it and forgave myself for it. Captain Starshine told me that the first step to moving on is to forgive yourself. I just want to keep it in the past. I'm still a bit upset with you all, but I'll get over it soon. I just don't want to talk about it anymore."

Applejack rubbed her left foreleg across her right nervously.

"Yeah, about that...I kind of promised Rarity that you'd come by for tea tomorrow, since you can't work with your ribs cracked. She...wants to talk to you."

Naruto didn't even bother to mask his sigh as he sat up in bed, the covers pooling around him.

"Applejack, I'll be fine in a couple of days. I heal really fast. I can do other things."

"Cracked ribs don't heal that fast, Naruto."

"Mine do. I've always healed fast. Do you know how many times I've sprained my ankle in the field, waited fifteen minutes, and then gone back to plowing or bucking?"

Her jaw dropped slightly.

"I thought y'all was taking a break them times!"

"I don't do breaks. When you see me stop, its because I'm taking time to heal up."

"That's insane! Nopony heals that quickly!"

Naruto shrugged and winced when his ribs ached.

"I do. I can feel them knitting up right now. I told you, AJ, I don't know where I came from. I'm not normal though. And I think the Princess knows more than she lets on but won't tell me."

"Well, your freakish healing ability aside...which I thought was a trick my eyes played on me back at the ancient castle...you still have to go to Rarity's tomorrow. I told Mac that I'd accompany you there so you don't try to make a run for it. No offense, but you don't seem the tea type."

"Pffft...Rarity is a delight to be around and I happen to like tea. I hope she has herbal green tea. Very soothing."

"Ugh...very bitter. Give me coffee any day."

"And you say the tea is bitter? You're strange, Applejack."

"Says the pony that decided to tackle a dragon. You're touched in the head."

They smiled at each other, the moonlight reflecting just enough of their faces to let the other know that they were grinning.

"Hey...Naruto...why didn't you ever tell us about the Griffon Crisis?"

"I told you before, Applejack. It's not one of my best moments. There's other things that I haven't told you either. Just let it be."

She stood for a moment in contemplation before nodding solemnly.

"Well, I'll say 'goodnight', Naruto. You better get some rest for putting up with hoity-toity Rarity tomorrow."

"Goodnight, AJ. Try not to kick any apples at dragons in your dreams."

"Consarn it! I admitted it was stupid, okay? No need to rub it in!"

* * *

Applejack expected many things in her life when she woke up. She expected to grumble about having to get up. She hated mornings. She expected to gasp when the cold water hit her face. She expected Mac or Granny or sometimes even Naruto to have coffee ready by the time she got downstairs. She expected to have to drag Applebloom out of bed.

She even expected to walk outside on the porch some mornings to see Naruto doing that 'meditating' thing he did. She'd asked Twilight about it before and her studious friend had informed her that it helped ponies center themselves and look inwardly for a sense of calm. Some used it for soul-searching. She'd even said some martial artist ponies used it to focus themselves for a fight. Applejack had always figured that was the case for Naruto.

She poured herself a cup of hot coffee, mildly wondered where everyone was, and put the mug on a dish before walking outside to watch the sun rise on the porch. She backed out the door slowly, being careful not to spill her coffee, and bumped into the mountain of flesh known as her brother. The cup jiggled on the saucer for a moment, but she regained control and growled as she sat it down.

"Dadgummit, Big Mac. You nearly made me...spill...my..."

Her voice died in her throat when she saw what was going on out in the yard. Big Mac sat transfixed, little Applebloom sitting in front of him and Granny in her rocker, watching the scene unfold before them. Applejack had seen Naruto meditate before, but now he was doing something she'd never seen.

He was glowing.

His bandages had been cast aside and he sat in his familiar meditation stance, his eyes closed and hooves clasped in concentration. His breathing looked steady, so Applejack knew he was in a trance. That wasn't what worried her. It was the wisps of golden magic that curled around him like flames, dancing in the light of the morning sun.

AJ gasped and was about to call out to Naruto when a large red hoof pressed against her mouth and Big Mac shook his head.

"Don't. You'll ruin his concentration."

Her eyes betrayed her unspoken question and Macintosh slowly removed his hoof.

"Just be quiet and watch. He's healing."

She cut her eyes back across the yard, watching with great fascination as the yellow wisps grew in number and began to snake across his body.

"How is he healing? Earth ponies can't use magic, Mac!"

Macintosh shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know, sis. He tried to explain it to me one time, but all I came away with is that it's something only he can do. Now watch."

She watched with bated breath, her coffee forgotten, as the yellow flames grew in intensity before washing over him completely and disappearing in a flourish, as if they'd been extinguished from the inside out by a great wind. Naruto's eyes opened and, just for a moment, she could have sworn they glowed like a unicorn's in the presence of too much magic.

Naruto let out a contented sigh and reared up on his back legs quickly, pawing at the air with his forelegs and stretching out his newly healed muscles and ribs as he whinnied. He came back down, stretching his body this way and that before realizing he had an audience. His ears flattened sheepishly against his head.

"Oh...did you all just see that?"

"Eeyup."

"Young'un puts on quite a light show."

"Yep, we saw quite a bit."

"Mister Naruto, why were you glowing?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and looked away.

"Well, I thought you all had seen me meditate before, but I guess you've never seen me concentrate my magic that way. I have the ability to focus my magic inside me to do things like enhance my strength and accelerate my healing past its already insane levels."

Applebloom cocked her head to the side, thoroughly confused.

"But...Miss Cheerilee said that only unicorns can use magic like that. And they need their horn to make it work."

"And that's normally true. But I'm a bit different than most Earth ponies, little one. Nopony knows where I came from or who my parents were. I just showed up in Canterlot one day. Princess Celestia and a few of her court unicorns confirmed that I have a huge amount of magic, but since I have no focal point, like a horn, I can't really use it."

"Then how were ya able to use it then?"

He smiled and patted her on the head lightly.

"I trained with some of the mystics in the castle and they taught me to look inward for the magic. It's a shame I can't use more of what I have. I've even gone inside my own mind and seen the magic."

She looked up at him with a slack jaw and wonderous eyes.

"You can see inside yourself? Wouldn't that hurt your eyes?"

Her face grew a bit hot when he laughed and she heard her siblings chuckle as well.

"Not like that, Applebloom. I mean that I can see a...um...how should I put this? I can see a...vision? Yes, something like that. I can see myself inside my mind. Did that make sense?"

She shook her head quickly and he sighed.

"I'll try to think of a way to explain it better, little one. In the meantime, just know that I can do it, okay?"

"Okay, Mister Naruto!"

Now that that was out of the way, he turned to the three elders on the porch. Applejack had an eyebrow quirked, waiting for a more detailed explanation. Granny Smith seemed amused at the whole thing. Macintosh...just looked bored. But Naruto knew that behind that facade the big red pony's mind was whirring, processing the information. He smiled at them and nudged Applebloom toward the house with his nose.

"Let's go inside for some coffee and I'll answer what questions I can. You look absolutely ready to burst, Applejack."

* * *

"So...lemmee get this straight. You can use magic to heal yerself."

"Mhm."

"You use it to enhance your strength, but you do that subconc...sub...without you knowing. And only in times of danger."

"Mhm."

"You think that with enough training you can use all your magic one day. At any time you need."

"Mhm."

"But you're afraid to try because you hear a voice telling you that you're 'not ready' just yet."

"Mhm."

"So, why didn't you do that after you fought Nightmare Moon to heal yerself faster? Were ya just being lazy and didn't want ta work?"

"Mhm."

"Can you say anything other than 'mhm'?"

"Nnope."

"...I hate you sometimes."

Naruto chuckled at the glaring, Stetson wearing pony and sipped at his coffee again, savoring the hot bitterness.

"I know you do, AJ. In a nutshell, that's pretty much it. Just imagine how strong I could be if I could channel all that magic into my strength."

Macintosh swallowed the rest of his coffee and smacked his lips.

"That's a frightening thought. Yer already strong enough."

Granny snorted and shook her head.

"Ain't no such thing as too much strength, boy. Why, in my day, we used to could crush boulders without all this fancy, schmancy magic..."

The three younger adults tuned her out with fond smiles as she launched into a story of how she and the siblings' grandfather once flattened a whole mountain with just their tails. Applejack leaned her head on a hoof and looked out the window.

"Everytime I think we have you figured out, Naruto, you just give us more questions that we need answers to. I always knew that strength of yours couldn't be natural."

"Actually, I don't use the magic when I'm working normally. We all have a small amount of magic in us, Applejack, even you and Macintosh. How do you think Cutie Marks just appear? Magic. Earth ponies have magic in them, it's just used differently than unicorns. Same with pegasi. They use the magic to fly and move the clouds."

Macintosh hummed and Applejack swung her head back around to look at him.

"I ain't never heard it put like that. Who told you that?"

"I read it in a book. I'm not a unicorn, but I've studied the teachings of Starswirl the Bearded extensively."

"Who?"

"Starswirl the Bearded. He was a magician for the Royal Court back before Princess Luna got all crazy. He was a pioneer in many spells that unicorns still use today and he was a great theorist and practioner of the more esoteric arts."

Mac and Applejack blinked and stared at him blandly.

"I didn't get any of that. Mac?"

"Nnope."

"You should talk to Twilight sometime, Naruto. She could probably gab to ya all night long about that kind of stuff. Or maybe Rarity. I'd bank on Twilight Sparkle though."

Naruto smiled and nodded as he moseyed to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, since I'm all healed up ahead of schedule, I guess I'll just get my buckets and..."

"Uh uh. No sir."

Naruto winced and froze with his mouth on the door handle. He glanced back over his shoulder at a now miffed Applejack.

"You still got the day off and I promised Rarity you'd be by for tea today. You're going. No arguments."

The rust-orange stallion snorted and glared at the snickering Macintosh, whose eyes practically twinkled with mirth.

"But Applejack, I can work the morning at least."

"No. I'm the Element of Honesty, I said you'd be coming, and you ain't gonna make a liar out of me. Now git!"

He scrambled out the door just as she sent an apple flying at him, but not before plucking it out of the air with his teeth and winking. Applejack growled and sat back down, nursing her coffee. Macintosh took a bite of his own apple and smiled.

"Never a dull moment with him around, huh sis?"

AJ grinned and tipped her hat downward over her eyes.

"Nnope."

* * *

Naruto set his mouth into a forced smile as he knocked on the door to the Carousel Boutique. He was going to have to step up his game around these fillies sooner or later. Being thrust into awkward social situations was not his idea of a good time and, while he enjoyed interacting with Applejack's friends, he would rather be working. If he was working, he couldn't get in trouble.

The door glowed for a moment and opened to reveal Rarity practically beaming at him.

"Naruto, darling! Come in, come in! It's so good to see you and...where are your bandages?"

He stepped inside cautiously, as if the decor would come alive and get him, which set Rarity to giggling, forgetting her question for the moment.

"I declare, you're worse than Applejack was at first. She was terrified of my shop, always thinking that I was going to shove her into this dress or that."

"You do have a somewhat...quirky reputation, Miss Rarity."

"Rarity."

"Pardon?"

"Just 'Rarity'. No 'Miss'. I insist."

"But..."

"Please?"

Naruto was going to argue, but he knew where it would end up eventually. They'd argue, she'd plead, she'd win. She was a pro at getting her way.

"Very well."

Rarity clapped her hooves together with glee and let out a merry laugh.

"Excellent! Now, come, come. Into the kitchen! I have tea ready and then we're going to the spa to meet Fluttershy!"

Naruto blinked swiftly, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, Applejack said that I had you for the whole day and this is the day that I normally meet Fluttershy for our weekly spa treatment. Sooo...I thought I'd bring you along and treat you to a good time. Trust me, you'll feel right as rain after this."

"I'm not one much for pampering, Rarity."

She rounded on him, her bottom lip set into a pout.

"Do I really have to do this? You're going, one way or the other."

Naruto sighed and nodded, relenting.

"Yes, ma'am."

His eyes narrowed at her smirk and she batted her eyelashes at him in victory.

"Good boy. Now, we've got some time before we have to meet Fluttershy, so follow me. Tea and cookies!"

**Aaaand...done. For the moment. I shall have more soon hopefully. If not, I'll just make the chapter bigger again. Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!**


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